REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
Stray Cat Theatre’s production of “Let the Right One In” is a terrifyingly violent play that is challenging to watch as it tells the tale of two losers who struggle to be part of a normal life and to establish a loving relationship but can’t because each character is plagued with scary deviations that separate the pair from regular people.
...as weird and unusual as “Let the Right One In” is there is no questioning that the Stray Cat Theatre production methodically staged by Ron May is expertly performed by an acting ensemble of competent performers. Brittney Watson is masterful as Eli starting out as a regular appearing girl next door type but artfully evolving into a maniacal and debouched psycho. That she can so craftily draw Oskar to her and her bizarre thinking is a testament to her fine performance. Nathaniel Smith, a last-minute replacement in the pivotal role of Oskar, is also perfection as a regular appearing guy who is taken with Eli’s bizarre reflections of normal. The rest of the large ensemble essays their roles with clear distinctions and you see and understand the thinking and persuasions of each player.
“Let The Right One In” is not an easy piece of theater to watch and the diabolical and unusual thinking of the characters does not make this easy theater to become engrossed in but if the unusual and bizarre has appeal, “Let the Right One In” may just be the most relevant piece of theater presented by a Valley theater this season.
Grade: A-