Jordan

by Brenda Withers

Produced by Northern Stage

Directed by Jess Chayes

Scenic Design by Sara C. Walsh

Lighting Design by Isabella Byrd

Projection Design by Alek Deva

Sound Design by Asa Wember

Costume Design by Barbara Bell

Stage Managed by Devin Day

Featuring: Ben Beckley, Eric Messner, Danielle Slavick, William Oliver Watkins

Photos by Kata Sasvari

In this impressive production, director Jess Chayes and four fine actors apply a cool, contemporary polish to an engaging script...

Jordan blurs a lot of boundaries. It has the sparkling repartee of comedy, but the central dilemma pitches the characters, and the audience, into serious thought. It's a whodunit in which no "who" could ever be accountable. It's a psychological drama smothered in ironic detachment. What's at stake can be dismissed as meaningless or mourned as the essence of identity. The play's strength is how nimbly it covers such wide ground.

Chayes creates a tart contrast between the few token objects that the characters handle and the set's vast space around them, reminding viewers that what's most real for these people is a life lived digitally. The anchor for the production is the acting, distinguished by the taut pauses and verbal overlaps of a sharp ensemble.

- Alex Brown, Seven Days VT

What made this a delight was Northern Stage’s excellent and stylish production – including a fine comic cast. Directed by Jess Chayes, the Upper Valley professional theater company’s associate artistic director, Friday’s performance didn’t miss a beat.

- Jim Lowe, Times Argus