[rating=3] The Gift Theatre is one of my favorite storefront theater companies. Their location on Milwaukee Avenue at Lawrence is the perfect definition of the term “storefront”. Back in the day, this was a store. When the corner had a men’s clothing store, Mel’s, I believe the location that is or was The Gift was a shoe store. I am sure that there are changes going on at that locations and The Gift is doing their current production “The Locusts” at Theater Wit over on Belmont. Being used to their format of a long and narrow staging area ( as they did on Milwaukee Avenue) they arranged the Theater Three as close to that format as they could, but did have a section of seating at the end that never would have been possible on Milwaukee Avenue.

The current production is one that had been commissioned to do before the pandemic turned off the theater scene ( the world so to speak) and at last Jennifer Rumberger’s “mystery” is having its World Premiere. The story, in many ways, reminded me of an episode of “Criminal Minds” as it deals with a serial killer and the FBI helping a small police department. The story takes place in Vero Beach  along the coast of Florida. Ella (a powerful performance by Cyd Blakewell) is our FBI agent from Washington D.C.. This is her hometown and it seems that young girls are being grabbed and murdered. Rather than stay at a hotel, she bunks with her sister Maise ( deftly handled by Brittany Burch), her niece Olive ( Mariah Sydnei Gordon) and Willa ( played to perfection by Renee Lockett) their Nana. While being “on the job” she is confronted with her previous life with her family. Her sister is pregnant and hoping for another girl.

While working to solve the murders and get the killer off the street her mind drifts to this family that she has had little to do with. She is a busy person, for sure, but one needs to find time for family. While the play is designed to be a crime story, it is in reality a story about trauma and how each individual deals with it. How can they live a normal life with all the garbage of the past unresolved? Directed by John Gawlik on a set designed by Chas Mathie we spend a great deal of time in the police station, Maisie’s apartment ( or house) and in a patrol car. The two local cops, Layla ( Jennifer Glasse) and Robbie ( Patrick Weber) add to the story and bring it closer to a “law and Order SVU” episode as well.

I will say that the set is designed to fit in a small space and create the darkness that the story contains. There are many projections (Parker Molacek) but sitting on the side made them slightly harder to see in fill. The lighting (Trey Brazeal) and sound (Stefanie M. Senior) as well as the costumes (Jessica Van Winkle) were spot on. One of the problems with today’s actors is that they have forgotten the old rule to  “play to the back row”. Since actors are not wearing microphones ( except in musicals) it is difficult to hear them in the far reaches of the theater if they speak in a normal voice- project, people, project! If I had not been wearing hearing aids, I might have missed some of the story.

Since it is a mystery, I will say no more except to say that I am glad this story is on the stage. Think of this as a women’s story. Women of different generations living their lives and dealing with threats. Male violence towards women is no different today than it was years ago. The title is deceiving to me. The mention of Locusts is in the second act. Most of us think of Locusts and think of plagues, so I am guessing that is the basis. We also think that these happen in every generations and this play deals with several generations. It is a well acted play and keeps us spellbound into the story. It is a true whodunit but one where we care more about the characters that are trying to solve than the actual case being solved.

“The Locusts” will continue at Theater Wit thru – Nov 19th with performances as follows: