REVIEWS, WALKING SHADOW THEATRE COMPANY'S "THE ALIENS"

Reviews for Walking Shadow Theatre Company's production of The Aliens have been published by City Pages, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, How Was The Show?, MinnPost, Talkin' Broadway, and Single White Fringe Geek. (Click each link for full review)

"Heimbuch and his cast give this material a strong staging, with all three actors delivering disciplined performances that strike the right notes of levity and pathos." - Jay Gabler, City Pages

"Jasper (Paul Rutledge) and KJ (Paul LaNave) are 30-ish dudes defined by their inability to move beyond adolescence. Jasper broods over a recent breakup; KJ lets his freak flag fly with nary a care. Jasper has written a novel about a guy who rides disillusioned into the American sunset; KJ writhes in spontaneous interpretive dance and sings oddball songs...Director John Heimbuch spins all this together in a production that creeps up and grabs our heart." - Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

"Director John Heimbuch allows the play to take its leisurely pace, and has found a trio of fine young actors to populate the roles, each of whom feel acutely comfortable in the skin of their characters. As Jasper, Paul Rutledge is a carefully calibrated blend of twitchy, cocky and bombastic. Paul LaNave, whose KJ seems as inseparable from his stocking cap as he is from his hipster beard, gives the role a blissed-out-vibe, moving with the loose-limbed ease of the perpetual stoner. If the subtext of almost all of Jasper’s lines is some kind of frustrated profanity, what lies beneath KJ’s dialogue is an implicit 'Oh, wow, man.'...'The Aliens' is a sweet, smart, funny/sad piece of theater, executed by a skilled company filled with faces you’re likely to see more of in the future. It’s time well spent." - Dominic P. Papatola, Pioneer Press

"The interlopers, Jasper and KJ, are alternately brooding and creative, like artists in search of a portfolio, and a reason to live. To Heimbuch’s credit, he allows all three actors the time and emotional space they need to deliver their lines with honesty and a close-to-the-bone accuracy as they waver between despair and irony. LaNave as college dropout KJ, has the ability to place his words in a way that is benevolent but betrays an existential angst lying just below the surface. While Rutledge, as the chain smoking Jasper, has the black hair and dark eyes of Edgar Allan Poe that make him perfect for the writer/poet role." - Mari Wittenbreer, How Was The Show?

"In other hands, Jasper, KJ and Evan could have been silly stereotypes, played for mocking laughs. Baker treats them tenderly, with compassion. Everything about this production feels solid and right, from the casting – Paul Rutledge as Jasper, Paul LaNave as KJ, Spencer H. Levin as Evan – to Erica Zaffarano’s utterly convincing set and Katharine Horowitz’s delicate sound design. Putting 'The Aliens' in the tiny Red Eye Theater draws us close to every look, gesture and attempt at communication." - Pamela Espeland, MinnPost

"Paul Rutledge as Jasper and Paul LaNave as KJ are both superb with not a false move. Rutledge's Jasper is more subdued, with more kept inside, but he does have an edge. LaNave's KJ is full of manic energy; it is a very physical performance and he enjoys stirring up drama. Their give and take toward one another is in beautiful harmony." - Arthur Dorman, Talkin' Broadway

"In contrast, the stillness of both Rutledge as Jasper, and LaNave as KJ is mesmerizing to watch. Whether silent or speaking, the emotions crossing their faces tell a very specific story. The things they can’t say get expressed nonetheless. You can see them thinking. And this isn’t the kind of bad, pretentious acting that happens when performers are acting between the lines rather than on the lines, creating unnecessary pauses so we can watch them “feel” what their characters are going through, not trusting the dialogue alone to do the trick. No, this is the playwright and the director specifically giving these characters room to just be present, and the actors the chance to fill that time with a well-rounded and detailed sense of humanity." - Matthew Everett, Single White Fringe Geek

(Photos: Dan Norman)

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