CORRECTION: The lede has been rewritten to include words that were previously missing.
Starting as what can only be described as a teen girl’s midlife crisis, LBCC’s production of the play “Everybody” slowly turns into a down-to-earth depiction of what humans bring to death.
While each performance may vary depending on the lottery scene where five cast members pick their roles, there are still many stationary characters, some of which I consider the best in the show, but remember to use the bathroom before, because this is a performance of 90 minutes with no intermission.
The thrust, a theater term for a stage which has an audience on three sides of it, makes the experience immersive as characters come to life from the stage to the next to you and right in front of you.
The first thing you are greeted by is a skit that serves as a precursor to the performance while the audience members take their seats. This offers small comedic moments for characters that don’t appear again until the end of the performance, which I consider slightly disappointing.
Nancy Tran played the Usher and truly set the bar for the show as she guided the characters off stage and entered with her witty remarks and audience interactions that are contrasted with deep comments on mortality.
Velbert Reed appeared with a loud and thunderous voice, perfect for his role as the character “God.” He was paired with David Hillinger, the socially awkward yet charming depiction of the character, “Death.”
On the May 15 performance, the lottery chose Leya Froehlich as the protagonist “Everybody,” Nicholas Rout-Vazquez as “Cousin,” Paola Ovalle as “Stuff,” David Chom as “Friendship,” and Qowlayah Peters as “Kinship.”
The awkward comedy is laced with the slight feeling of existential dread that doesn’t quite hit you until the impactful performance of “Love” played by Luna Navarro, a vulnerable scene which hits the same with any cast member playing “Everybody.”
Navarro’s nasty and persuasive depiction of “Love” is something that was jaw-dropping, making Froehlich simply bend to her will with the promise of accompanying her to the afterlife.
From there on, “Everybody” goes through the stages of death, leading to a masterful dialogue once again by Tran.
In the wonderful summary by Tran, one by one, beauty has a tendency to fade, strength runs out, the mind goes, and the senses get lost, which is something viewers understand by the end of the show.
