By Laura Kennelly
Grounded takes off. Live theatre in intimate spaces can’t be beat when done right. Grounded is done very right. (Yes, I liked it.)
Playwright George Brant and Director Ken Rus Schmoll have constructed a world, with Cabell expertly piloting, that moves from what “fighter pilot” used to mean (glamour, risk, excitement a la “Top Gun” to what it can mean today (12-hour shifts piloting drones from a bunker outside Las Vegas, Nevada).
To say Hannah Cabell’s performance as a grounded jet pilot is outstanding and amazing dramatically understates things: she is the play. Never (as far as we can tell) dropping a line or skipping a beat, she opens her character’s heart to us without using cheap tricks or easy gimmicks–it’s all words, plain words, told from a practical, pragmatic point of view. She sounds like a fighter pilot.
Her extended soliloquy doesn’t lecture (much appreciated, thanks). And it’s not about women vs. men as pilots–which one might think given the relative rarity (still) of female fighter pilots. That’s not to say there’s no point of view (imagine Queen Elizabeth I or Bill Clinton discussing their work, how could they do it without bringing in values?). Fighter pilots, those who yearn to be “out there” and “in the blue” like Cabell’s character, are a special type, drawn to be pilots in part for the risk and the excitement of strapping a jet plane on and flying far and fast.
The music, designed by Jane Shaw, adds an emotional component too. It might qualify as another character, at times an unpleasant character indeed because it’s loud and grating when it needs to be. The set (designed by Arnulfo Maldonado) is plain dark blue, black, and brown. It doesn’t get in the way as Cabell paces, talks, and ultimately, reveals her character’s soul.
It’s not a rant against drones or wars or pilots (tho some may walk away better informed), but the play’s subject is timely (see background here for combat via drone) and the questions it raises seem important ones–they are, at the very least, food for thought.
If you get a chance to see Cleveland Play House’s production of Grounded during its brief run, please take it. The play continues through May 17 as part of the New Ground Theatre Festival at PlayhouseSquare. Call 216-241-6000 or go to clevelandplayhouse.com for tickets or information.
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.
Cleveland, OH 44115