Coyote on a Fence Miami Art Magazine Review with Howard Ferre's Theatrical Sound Design and Musical Production

COYOTE ON A FENCE REVIEW FROM MIAMIARTZINE.COM Download complete PDF resumé

Theatrical sound design for the Alliance Theatre Lab presentation of Coyote on a Fence with original music by Howard Ferre. Bobby Reyburn has a can of gas and a match. He burns down a church. With 37 people inside. Naturally God told him to do it. What a monster is Bobby. Well, no, not really. Not as played by Mark Della Ventura in the Alliance Theatre Labs Coyote on a Fence by Bruce Graham.

Della Ventura, fascinating as Bobby, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood who hates Jews and Blacks, was gang raped so badly he walks with a limp, sees out of only one eye, is uneducated and ignorant, and was birthed by a prostitute. And of course he desperately wants to see his name in the prison newspaper. The prison being in Texas and his cell being on Death Row next to long-time con John Brennan, editor of the aforesaid prison paper.

Brennan, played by Travis Reiff, is an almost celebrity, his writings on the deaths of his Death Row fellows and his arguing for the abolition of the death penalty having brought him to the notice of the BBC and the New York Times. He's an educated man, plays chess by mail, writes on an old typewriter without a ribbon (carbon paper), reads and tries to tell the world he is innocent of shooting a man in a drug deal. Travis Reiff is a grounded actor whose stage weight is always there. No missteps here as John Brennan.

Brennan is the arrogant King of the Row and then suddenly the seemingly innocent Bobby Reyburn is put into the cell next to him. Reyburn changes Brennan's disdain to forbearance and then, ultimately, friendship. See them playing catch in the exercise yard.

Theres a Greek Chorus at work, too, in Coyote on a Fence. Kirsten Upchurch, as prison guard Shawna DuChamps, sucks beer from a bottle, willingly uses her baton, and protests a little too much that she's not worn down by all the years and all the executions. She just goes home to bed at night and forgets all about the prison life. Right.

New York Times reporter Samantha Fried, played by a just right Jehane Serralles, meets Brennan in the prison. She wants to write about his life and ideas but the interview ends badly with Brennan, cuffed, on his knees and being choked into submission by a baton across the throat as DuChamps screams for respect.

Theres no doubt this is a political play but this is forgiven and forgotten with the force of Adalberto Acevedo's direction and the performances of his cast.

Mike Stopnik designed the realistic set (check out the ingenious exercise yard). The equally good sounds and lights are by Howard Ferre and Will Cabrera.

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