First act alone makes ‘Listen’ feel exciting

You learn within minutes of RagTag Entertainment's "Listen," now at the Onyx, that local playwright Dave Surratt is an exciting new voice.

In the first act, we meet lead character Ben: awkward, nerdy, self-absorbed. He's also a caring biologist and obsessed music lover who wants to use music to help treat cancer patients. For all the laughs he earns, Ben is surprisingly three-dimensional. It's a role that feels written from the gut. And actor Thomas Chrastka, with help from director Surratt, wears the difficult character like a comfortable jacket. He barely seems to be moving an eyebrow, yet he communicates Ben's every thought.

Surratt's gifts are especially noticeable when we meet Ben's best friend, played by Drew Yonemori. The writing makes real a humorous tough-love relationship. The direction and acting help us believe the two, despite their constant conflicts, fit together.

Breon Jenay, with glittered, violet hair and a mouth that won't rest, has a brief, wonderfully understated scene as an eccentric, terminally ill patient. For all her bravado, we can see with just a brief facial expression from Jenay how unhappy the character is.

Then there's Ben's boss (Erik Amblad), a traditional scientist who fires his subordinate for his unorthodox approach to treatment.

Just before the one-act curtain, Ben and boss have a confrontation, and out of the blue, the boss experiences something that may change his life . The doctor leaves, Ben sighs and sits back on his couch, and the curtain closes.

The unexpected spiritual contact between two opposites is a subtle, powerfully emotional moment that comes out of nowhere.

If only the play had ended there! The second act proves a tedious series of explanations, lectures and repetitions of action. Surratt has something gently lyrical going on in the first act. He doesn't need to overexplain.

Amblad strikes poses. He needs a strong acting-oriented director to help him internalize a character's physical mannerisms.

And Candice McCallum, as Ben's almost-girlfriend, gives a relaxed performance that's just a shade too small. She might work fine for film, but here, she doesn't emotionally project.

Still, I went home elated by the first act. Surratt is a talent that Vegas playhouses should continue nurturing. He deserves our attention.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat @aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.