With “Say You Love Satan,” an occult parody of the romantic comedy genre, Blackout Theatre proves it can elevate plays far above the level of the script alone.
On paper, “Say You Love Satan” is a cutesy, gay love story packed with one-liners and pop-culture references that will be familiar to viewers of Hollywood’s romantic comedies in the past 10 years.
The play is presented as part of Albuquerque’s annual Pride celebration.
The script starts pretty slow, burdening the actors with clunky exposition.
Thankfully, the play, under the direction of Nicole Duke and Michael Ray-Carter, is brilliantly cast. Ray-Carter stars as Andrew, and he carries the play by delivering jokes, emotional fears and philosophical thoughts on Dostoyevsky with equal poise.
Ray-Carter’s energy and wit entertain the whole way through.
Andrew has just gotten out of a horrible relationship and isn’t eager to jump into another one, despite the saintly Jarrod (played by DeSean Payne) waiting on the sidelines. His best friend, Bernadette, played with wonderful wit and sass by Rhiannon Frazier, can’t believe Andrew won’t take advantage of Jarrod’s patient dedication, but all Andrew wants is to finish his dissertation on Dostoyevsky and maybe get some laundry done.
It’s at the laundromat that Andrew encounters Jack: a sexy, charming man who’s well-versed in Andrew’s favorite author, Dostoyevsky. Jack (played by Zachary Sears) is a confident rogue who sweeps Andrew off his feet.
It’s only a little later, as Andrew has well and truly fallen for him, that Jack confesses the extent of his uniqueness: He’s the son of the Devil.
While not as stunningly original as other Blackout shows, the production is sleek and well designed. Set changes are done through projections on the back wall, allowing different scenes a more defined sense of location. This choice prevents lengthy scene changes and does not intrude on the actors or sacrifice the theatrical atmosphere.
The costuming is functional and unmemorable, but the lighting is wonderfully done. It nimbly shifts the locations and moods without calling attention to itself.
Frazier is an absolute treat as Bernadette, Andrew’s luckless-in-love best friend. While everyone in the cast is up to the challenge of delivering the play’s comedy, Frazier’s performance is utterly believable and hilarious. She lands every line with quickness and ease — even with some of the less-inspired jokes in Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s script.
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Daniel Garcia is given numerous roles, including Andrew’s ex-boyfriend Chad, Jack’s ex-boyfriend Rafael and a star-struck bouncer. Garcia makes each uniquely hilarious, sometimes within seconds of each other.
Payne plays Andrew’s patient, good-hearted, would-be boyfriend, and does a great job of it. He nails the character’s vulnerable moments and makes himself the appealing alternative in Andrew’s love life.
Unfortunately, Sears isn’t as successful playing Jack, the Son of Satan. As written, Jack is irresistible and enigmatic. While Sears lends the character a fluid, confident physicality, he struggles in the moments where Jack makes his supernatural origins and presence felt. He comes off more as someone who simply thinks he is the son of the devil than someone who could convince anyone of the fact. Sears improves in the play’s second half as Jack reveals his actual intentions to Andrew.
With “Say You Love Satan,” Blackout took what would have been an average play and made it into impressive, well-crafted entertainment.
While it’s a shame the play only runs for one weekend, there are plenty more Pride events coming up, and the production is further evidence that the Blackout Theatre Company is one to watch.
For more info and Albuquerque Pride events through June 11th, visit abqpride.com
