Who determines guilt and innocence? Do some people deserve to die? What constitutes “sufficient evidence”? These are just a few of the questions that will haunt the minds of the audience as they exit the Allen-Bales theatre after a stunning performance of Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden” starring three of the University’s most talented performers: Stacy Searle, Thomas Azar and Chris Hardin. 

    Even with the house lights on and some mellow Chilean tunes wafting in the background, the set was enough to make me a little uncomfortable. The dark, bare concrete walls and floor were cracked and crumbling around the edges, casting a shadow of decay and ill-use over the cold wrought n chairs and table that made up the sparse furnishing of the stage. The black, red and grey color scheme that permeated the play not only added to the visual effect of film noir on stage, but also reflected the themes of right wrong and ambiguity that recurred throughout the script.

    And then it really started to get scary. To the sinister sound of a blade scraping a whetstone, we are introduced to Paulina Ecsobar (Searle) as she approaches the versatile iron barred door that will later serve as her front door but for the moment is unambiguously her prison. Enter the creepy Elvis zombie torturers as the music becomes frantic and bright white lights flash disconcertingly into the audience. Their costumes were as striking and freakish as the eerie green backlights which contrasted sharply with the lurid red and draining blue, creating an effectively discordant atmosphere. The spare but flexible set struck the perfect balance between enhancing and not distracting from the actors’ performance. 

    As an emotionally unstable victim of political oppression and physical torture, Paulina’s character presented a serious challenge to Searle’s emotional range, but she met the task well, from towering outrage to incapacitating remembrance to chillingly calm and assertive, she kept the audience aware of her mental history and guessing as to the present state. Chris Hardin had an equally vast test before him, as the audience is kept in limbo as to his guilt or innocence – Doctor Miranda’s fear and outrage seem so real, and yet his chilling confession seems too genuine to be contrived. Hardin is either playing a tremendous actor or an honest man, and he does such a convincing job that the audience is at a loss to decide. Thomas Azar too delivers and displays impressive emotional range as Gerardo Escobar is torn back and forth between love for his wife and concern for the truth – although he often seems to be the only voice we can trust, he too is being pressured from both sides. Azar keeps up an exhausting intensity throughout the show.

    The final scene is a surprise technically and dramatically, and it was great to be reminded of what theatre is capable of – to make you laugh and to entertain, certainly, but also to startle you into thinking, and perhaps leading you to conclusions you never though you’d find.