The impending apocalypse means it’s time to head to the local bar. That’s the premise of Alison Carr’s quirky play The Last Quiz Night On Earth in which the end is nigh, but the liquor still flows. Left Edge Theatre’s latest production runs at The California in Santa Rosa through April 13th.
As an asteroid hurtles towards Earth, the patrons of the Four Horsemen Bar in Chicago, composed of both cast and audience members, gather for one final quiz night. Implausibly, there’s no anarchy found. Rather, patrons sit nonchalantly, while the characters flurry around them, and, in between quiz rounds, try to repair old regrets as the clock winds down on civilization
Playwright Carr presents an imaginative premise, but the script, with its clunky format, doesn’t do the actors justice. The six quiz portions of the show dampen any character momentum. Trivia king Rav (earnestly hammy Danny Bañales) is perpetually leaving the stage to engage in some odd task, even when confronted by former flame Fran (Nora Summers). Serena Elize Flores, commanding as bar owner Kathy, does what she can to compel the distracted audience, who are in real time ordering drinks, and talking amongst themselves, trying to guess trivia answers.
Other crucial scenes lose their grounding in reality – Kathy’s estranged brother Bobby (Mike Schaeffer) spends the first part of the show trying to flee in Kathy’s car instead of using precious time to make amends. When his intentions are revealed in the last minutes, they fall flat.
Ultimately, the script is what lets this production down. Human connections are dismissed by snappy one-liners or outbursts of song. The characters avoid any sort of collision course with their feelings, as what would be realistically devastating relationship truths emerge.
Directors Argo Thompson and Jenny Hollingworth have attempted a literally immersive theater experience, but don’t achieve it in the way with which casual theater-goers may be accustomed to viewing a show, or being asked to participate in one. Thus, the novelty of having a drink delivered to you mid-scene AND while a trivia game is occurring, just led to rowdy theatergoers. We often lose the unmiked actors and their voices. As the play is originally set in an English pub, some colloquialisms stick out like a sore thumb.
This is a valiant experiment in theater-making helmed by enthusiastic directors and a capable cast, and patrons may enjoy a unique night out, but the script doesn’t allow these artists to achieve anything dramatically impactful.
Left Edge Theatre’s ‘The Last Quiz Night on Earth’ runs through April 13 at The California Theatre. 528 7th Street, Santa Rosa. Thu – Fri, 7:30pm; Sat., 1pm. $20–$29. 707.664.7529. leftedgetheatre.com
Photos by Dana Hunt
Caitlin Strom-Martin is a Sonoma County-based actor and playwright, and reads for several national play festival committees.
North Bay Stage and Screen 