*** It is always exciting to see a new theater company and the talent they bring to our city. The Village Theater is such a company and they are offering a special play, “All Nighter” written by Natalie Margolin and directed by Clara Zucker at, of all the perfect venues, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble in the Edgewater neighborhood. It seems like a perfect match for these young performers to spread their wings at Rivendell.

The play itself is a one-act ( over 90 minutes, no intermission) play that takes place on one night as these dorm mates prepare for their last big study night before graduation. The five “roomies” are from different walks of life and backgrounds, but have been close ( or thought they were) for all of their college years. The action takes place during a time when Obama was still in office and the #MeToo movement has not yet re-shaped our cultural vocabulary. (These are from the director’s notes that I share to give you a sense of what was happening on many small college campuses.)

The set (Katelyn Montgomery) is a study hall/library where the entire senior class seems to be preparing, but we are centered on the five roommates. As the story begins, we meet  Lizzy (played to perfection by  Mea Allen) and Darcie ( Naomi Zhanel Kalter), who are joined by Jacqueline ( Becca G. Anderson) and Tessa ( deftly handled by Emma Samuelson), who comes in with bags of goodies, snacks and veggies for all to share on this “All Nighter”. Lizzy is a little goofy with her pills and as we watch her through the play, we sense some insecurities. I congratulate Tna Arfaee on her assembly of props. It appears that many trips to the grocery store will be needed during this run.

It seems the ladies could not get the study table they wanted. One where they would be noticed and during the first half of the play, they talk about making a move when the timing is right. Later, they do this, but in a way that is in motion only as they end up at the same table due to size of the stage area, as there is no way to move to another non-existent table. I tell you this so you won’t get confused. The fifth character enters with a flair. Wilma ( a comical portrayal by Emma Dunlop) might be considered the comic relief, and Dunlop has a great sense of timing. The character might be a little much for the story itself and the contrast makes you wonder how they ever lived together for four years.

Some personal incidents occur during this studyfest, and their personalities seem slightly different from what we thought. I won’t go into all of it as i don’t like to give away some of the plots and sub-plots, but we learn a lot about some of their flaws and how each might truly feel about the others. There is some betrayal, some lies, and we wonder if these young ladies can ever get over what has transpired. It is all about choices that people make and that truths do matter. Listen to the facts that come out during the story and see if you would “forgive and forget”! I know that I had a lot to think about on the drive home as well as while I started to write this.

On the technical side, the lighting (Joseph Nelson) and sound ( (Satya Chavez) are fine for the place, but there are a few places where the director’s action mixed with the sound was a little confusing. It is often hard to work in a small space and have more than one focal point. Ms Zucker had to work with what was there. I also found the “other students” voices to be disruptive to the dialogue that was part of the ladies setting us up for the final part of the story. It was cute at the start, but in my opinion, it should have been faded out to almost background-only.

“All-Nighter” will continue through Aug 8th with performances as follows: