No Exit, presented by Balagula Theatre

Two weeks before France was liberated from Nazi occupation in 1944, Jean-Paul Sartre's play "No Exit" opened to theatre go-er's. I imagine that the journey to the theatre house itself was not unlike the plays arrival on stage - fraught with tension, checkpoints, heavily armed German soldiers watching and inspecting every move, tersely granting approval from a wave of a Mauser Karabiner 98 Kurz. What a relief it must have been to arrive - alive- at the theatre house, somewhat safely ensconsed in a seat, in a room, with four walls, somewhat safely now able to enjoy a brief creative respite from the very real violence outside.

The irony of voluntarily trading one very real Hell ouside for one depicted on a stage should not go unnoticed.

What should also not go unnoticed is the stark contrast between opening night in France 1944 and opening night 2010 in Lexington (KY). Obviously our social climates are so far removed from one another that any parallels have to fall into the realm of intellectual abstraction - one could always argue connections between POW's in German camps with those waterboarded in Git-Mo, for example- but those types of comparisons are easily refuted if not on the basis of context then on radical exaggeration alone.

Context - and not content- is in fact the most noteworthy element to consider during Ryan Case's direction of Sartre's play. We are a society far enough removed from German-occupied anything that at first, "No Exit" appears dated and out of context with the very real world we each operate within. The quote "Hell is other people" gets touted as the spoke of the wheel this play circles around. This concept was prescient in 1944 - one need only walk to the market on the corner, read the papers, squat in attics of Jewish sympathizers to know fully and understand how well this quote was truth.

Is Hell - really- other people? You might think so in 2010, especially if you are standing in a long line at the DMV or seated for dinner next to a table full of screaming children but Hell, really? At the end of day, safely tucked away in your gated community, with your 500 channels of satellite television streaming seamlessly into every room of your well lit and warm home, with your ADT security activated, your groceries delivered, your movies delivered to your mailbox, your work done from a home computer, your diploma earned via an online University, your friendships maintained via Skype, Twitter, instant messaging and FaceBook...how can other people realistically be our Hell when we spend so little face time with anyone, even when we are- in fact- face to face?

And therein lies the subtlety Sartre never imagined but what Case brilliantly emphasizes with this production. This play is an antique. It is dusty. The language is out dated and the content is no longer applicable or relevent to this so called modern society who can hide, block, invite or refuse other people into their life by merely clicking a button. We visit the past not to rewrite it but to deconstruct the present and if once upon a time Hell was other people...what is Hell today? Sartre tells us in the beginning of the play that Hell is specialized, designed and individually crafted to suit the occupants needs, "there is never a mistake and people are not damned for nothing." Would not Hell, therefore, be just as advanced and modern as we see ourselves?

The character of Inez- played by Robbie Morgan- unwittingly delivers the line that has the most contextual -and ultimately universal- significance to the audience of 2010: "One always dies too soon—or too late. And yet, life is there, finished: the line is drawn, and it must all be added up. You are nothing other than your life." The delivery of this statement justifies the dust sitting heavily on "No Exit" and artfully realigns our perception of these characters on stage we heretofore had a strong disconnect from. No Sartre. Hell is not other people. In fact - Hell is the lack thereof. And of our own design.

Case could have modernized this play in the same way Hollywood loves to take vintage classics and "update" them so they "speak" more clearly to the modern audiences, turning what was once a subtle punch into a veritable sledgehammer across the brainpan. This play could have showcased a SUV driving soccer mom who treats her rich husband like a special needs child in lieu of Estelle; the character of Inez could have very well been portrayed by a femaNazi, man-hating dyke, resplendent in a white wife-beater and man-muscle, while Cradeau could have been cast as just about any politician in American governemnt who platforms on family values and morality while secretly screwing prostututes in airport bathrooms while harboring a raging meth addiction.

But in this oh-so modern world where our time is supposedly so valuable and at such a high premium that we get our news in headlines, our culture from Prime Time and our quality face-time from FaceBook, I was glad that Case chose the long way around with this production of "No Exit" rather than the road more easily traveled. I was glad for the dust Case left on Sartre's because while not every antique is necessarily a showpiece, every antique does hold a historical relevence and a pertinent value determined by the present - a value that cannot be flippantly attributed in 150 characters or less.

The Balagula's presentation of Sartre's "No Exit" is worth the time it takes and worthy of your face-time away from FaceBook. It runs from February 22nd til March 3rd. You can call Natasha's or visit www.beatnik.com for ticket prices and show times. I hope you make the time to take the time to go see this play. It might be a revelation to some, but not everything can be caught later on YouTube, nor should it be. Life can be captured on film and yes - can go viral just as fast- but all the best moments rarely find themselves in a photo album or on the internet because you were probably having too good of a time to think about "catching" it with your camera. And if Sartre's is right and "death must enter life only to define it" - ask yourself...how was it? Life? Death? The big questions never get answered with buzz words. Move away from the screen for two hours. Your Hell will be the better for it.

A truly unique experience in Lexington. My first visit was great. I will be returning for more. Robbie Morgan's performance is believable and heartfelt.

Ahhh...Balagula! They have once again opened an exciting and wonderfully-acted show, No Exit. Combining innovative directing and talented actors, Balagula has quickly become THE theatrical force in Lexington and beyond.
Cheers!

Recently rediscovered Natasha's and was delighted at the addition of performance space and dense slate of music and theater. Recent shows have been excellent. Balagula theater is producing the provocative and nourishing theater I have been missing. Looking forward to No Exit.