On Jan. 15, the DU Department of Theatre produced a stage reading of “Dark Play or Stories for Boys,” directed by junior Evan Mues.
Nick, played by junior Cullen Madrid, is a sardonic 14-year-old boy with a penchant for telling wild stories and a belief everyone has a “gullibility threshold”—a point at which they will no longer believe everything they’re told. Adam, played by junior Aaron Dupuis, is a 16-year-old whose chatroom profile proclaims, “I want to fall in love.” Nick, unable to help himself, sets out to find just what exactly allows Adam to unironically believe in silly fairytale endings.
Nick creates Rachel, a fake online profile and the girl of Adam’s dreams. She’s blonde, she’s pretty, she’s cool and she knows exactly what Adam likes. For Nick, Rachel starts as a game, a simple tool to see just how many lies Adam will believe. But as the play goes on, things get darker. Adam falls in love with Rachel, claiming he’s never met anyone like her, and lonely Nick falls in love with Adam.
What began as a play about a harmless cynic quickly turns into a kid who will do anything not to feel alone. While Nick’s actions become more twisted, manipulating Adam in ways that repulsed and shocked the audience, Madrid did a great job of keeping him human. Underneath Nick’s anger and confusion was a relatable, desperate need to belong, making the story just bearable enough to watch. On the other end was Dupuis, who played sweet and naive so well, it at times felt like watching someone’s kid brother. Together, the two created very believable characters in an unbelievable situation.
This was the show’s strength. Beneath the perverse plot line and technology-ridden themes, sat a very human story.
“It [the play] was shocking, funny, horrifying, yet full of heart,” said Mues. He felt that, at its core, the show was simple. It was about love.
“It’s often said that we do crazy things for love. This play shows just how far love can push a person. It can push them into darkness, transform them into a monster,” Mues continued.
The show’s simple theme was highlighted by the minimal nature of a stage reading. There was no elaborate set, only the characters and their story. Though this may sound bare-bones and dull, such worries were prevented by the play’s supporting characters, who further fleshed out the lives of Nick and Adam. Rachel, played by junior Liz Butler, was so convincing, it was easy to forget she was really just Nick behind a computer screen. The remaining characters were split between Olivia van den Berg, a senior, and Trevor Fulton, a junior. Both did great jobs of transitioning between characters, providing comedic relief in one moment and nail-biting tension in the next.
The DU Department of Theatre will also be producing the play “Eurydice” and the musical “Little Shop of Horrors” in February. Look at their website for specific dates and ticket information.
