Review: String at Yellow Tree Theater, Season 10
On a scorchingly hot Sunday afternoon, I attended a play at the Yellow Tree Theater in Osseo, Minnesota. String is a romantic comedy by Jessica Lind Peterson, directed by Sean Byrd. It tells the story of a young poet, played by Jessica herself, waiting eagerly to be swept of her feet by a fellow with the same romantic, wild streak that some of her favorite poets used to describe their lovers.
I'll start this off by saying that I am absolutely no expert in theater. I don't claim to be an authority in anything, in fact. However, I do know that this play swept me off my own feet. I found the acting to be very convincing; as someone who has trouble getting over the idea of "seeing behind the curtain", I found that the portrayals of the characters were for the most part believable and genuine. This may be assisted by the fact that the playwright held the lead role, as I imagine it's a lot easier to act in a role when you have written your own mannerisms and prose into the character. In addition, I discovered after the show that the lead male role of Ryan, played by Jason Peterson, is in fact the husband of the lead female, Raina. Even without knowing they were acquainted (to put it lightly), I saw a great chemistry between them that added even further to convince me of the performance.
The smaller roles within the play definitely added to it greatly. The pair of husband and wife Joy and Cliff (Jessica Rae Rayle and Ryan Lear) added, first of all, a lot of humor and drama to the first half especially. In addition, they provided a good example of a couple whose relationship has someone matured. They have silly arguments, and they make odd decisions, but in the end they love each other and show that a relationship does not have to be a fantasy with white doves flying above, as Joy would put it.
There are few criticisms I have for String. This may be because I'm a notoriously awful critic, with an outlook to positive for such a thing, but I genuinely believe the play was overall fantastic. The only elements I didn't quite enjoy were Raina's dialogue in the opening scene, which I found to be a bit too goofy. However, this seemed to be resolved quickly once the first bit of dialogue began. The other issue was that I felt Derek, played by Andy Frye, was a bit heavy-handedly converted into a villain near the end of the play. He seemed to have no negative qualities before the first intermission, and suddenly became a character the audience is meant to hate in the second. Perhaps this is intentional, a metaphor for how the people you swoon over often turn out to not be what you expected, but it still seemed a bit odd to me.
Overall, I would definitely recommend seeing String while you can. I was absolutely enamored during the entire play, unable to keep my eyes off the stage. The cozy environment of the Yellow Tree Theater added to the appeal for me, with actors standing just feet from my seat. A beautiful experience to share with someone you hold dear with a love worthy of one hundred admirers.
I'll start this off by saying that I am absolutely no expert in theater. I don't claim to be an authority in anything, in fact. However, I do know that this play swept me off my own feet. I found the acting to be very convincing; as someone who has trouble getting over the idea of "seeing behind the curtain", I found that the portrayals of the characters were for the most part believable and genuine. This may be assisted by the fact that the playwright held the lead role, as I imagine it's a lot easier to act in a role when you have written your own mannerisms and prose into the character. In addition, I discovered after the show that the lead male role of Ryan, played by Jason Peterson, is in fact the husband of the lead female, Raina. Even without knowing they were acquainted (to put it lightly), I saw a great chemistry between them that added even further to convince me of the performance.
The smaller roles within the play definitely added to it greatly. The pair of husband and wife Joy and Cliff (Jessica Rae Rayle and Ryan Lear) added, first of all, a lot of humor and drama to the first half especially. In addition, they provided a good example of a couple whose relationship has someone matured. They have silly arguments, and they make odd decisions, but in the end they love each other and show that a relationship does not have to be a fantasy with white doves flying above, as Joy would put it.
There are few criticisms I have for String. This may be because I'm a notoriously awful critic, with an outlook to positive for such a thing, but I genuinely believe the play was overall fantastic. The only elements I didn't quite enjoy were Raina's dialogue in the opening scene, which I found to be a bit too goofy. However, this seemed to be resolved quickly once the first bit of dialogue began. The other issue was that I felt Derek, played by Andy Frye, was a bit heavy-handedly converted into a villain near the end of the play. He seemed to have no negative qualities before the first intermission, and suddenly became a character the audience is meant to hate in the second. Perhaps this is intentional, a metaphor for how the people you swoon over often turn out to not be what you expected, but it still seemed a bit odd to me.
Overall, I would definitely recommend seeing String while you can. I was absolutely enamored during the entire play, unable to keep my eyes off the stage. The cozy environment of the Yellow Tree Theater added to the appeal for me, with actors standing just feet from my seat. A beautiful experience to share with someone you hold dear with a love worthy of one hundred admirers.
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