<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'><h1 class="title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="margin: 0px; position: relative; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); width: 670px; display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; "><font style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); outline: none; text-decoration: none; "><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" style="background-color: white; ">***<br>
</font><font size="5" style="background-color: rgb(152, 251, 152);">LAND OF C</font><font size="5"><font style="background-color: rgb(152, 251, 152);">LEVE</font><font style="background-color: rgb(152, 251, 152);"> </font></font></font><span style="background-color: rgb(152, 251, 152);"><a href="http://inthelandofcleve.blogspot.com/2014/02/stage-review-dobamas-aliens-makes.html" rel="bookmark" itemprop="url" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); outline: none; text-decoration: none; "><font size="5">S</font></a><a href="http://inthelandofcleve.blogspot.com/2014/02/stage-review-dobamas-aliens-makes.html" rel="bookmark" itemprop="url" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); outline: none; text-decoration: none; "><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="5">tage </font><font size="5"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Review</font><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">: </font></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br>
</font><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="5">Dobama's 'Aliens' Makes Mesmerizing Contact </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br>
</font><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="5">With Compelling Cast of Characters</font></a></span></font><br>
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</font></h1><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify; background-color: white;"><ul><li><b>WHO: Dobama Theatre</b></li><li><b>WHAT: "The Aliens" by Annie Baker, directed by Nathan Motta</b></li><li><b style="line-height: 19px; ">WHEN: Now through Feb. 23 -- playing Thurs. 7:30pm, Fri.-Sat., 8pm, Sun. 2:30pm</b></li><li><b style="line-height: 19px; ">WHERE: 2340 Lee Rd. in Gordon Square, Cleveland Hts.</b></li><li><b style="line-height: 19px; ">HOW MUCH: $10-$26 ($5 rush tix for patrons 21 & under) </b></li><li><b style="line-height: 19px; "><span style="line-height: 24px; ">BOX OFFICE: Visit <a href="http://dobama.org/single-tickets/" style="color: rgb(0, 158, 184); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none; text-decoration: none; -webkit-transition: color 0.3s; display: inline; ">Dobama.org</a> or call (216) 932-3396</span></b></li></ul></span>
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<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px; "><b>Reviewed by Vivian Luther for <a href="http://landofcleve.net/" style="color: rgb(0, 158, 184); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none; text-decoration: none; -webkit-transition: color 0.3s; display: inline; ">LandOfCleve.net</a></b></i></span></div>
<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; "><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px; "><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b><i><br>
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<div style="line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; "><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; ">The title of </span><font size="4"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">the </span><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Dobama Theatre</b>'s current </font><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">p</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">rod</span><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">uction</font></font><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; "> <b>"The Aliens,"</b> written by <b>Annie Baker</b>, would lead one to believe that somewhere on stage during the performance we would see little green men or creatures with one giant eye. But instead, as the lights come up, the audience is introduced to two rather average twentysomething hipsters, K.J (<b>Alexander V. Thompson</b>) and his friend, Jasper (<b>Matt O'Shea</b>). KJ and Jasper are hanging around the backside of a coffee shop named the "Green Sheep" -- perhaps a play on the concepts of "green" aliens and people being mostly "sheep." </span></span></div>
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<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; "><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; ">The two men sit, and stare, and sit some more. Jasper lights a cigarette and KJ slurps his tea. They are together but alone -- hanging out, talking about their lives and their philosophies -- basically just loitering through life. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; ">Obvious misfits from society, they are in effect "aliens" to the people on the front side of the coffee shop. One could almost say they exist on the "dark side of the moon." </span></span></div>
<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; background-color: white;"><br>
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<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; "><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; ">Eventually, though, first contact is made in the form of a young man, Evan (<b>Joseph Dunn</b>), who works at the coffee shop. At first, the meek-mannered employee peers out of the back door window, as if looking out from a spaceship, staring at the strange creatures lurking out back. Then, while taking out the trash, Evan attempts to get KJ and Jasper to conform -- to move inside the shop, or at least to the tables out front. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; ">But the two men know that is impossible for them. They have tried to live in that space but did not fit in, so no, they must remain in the back. </span></span></div>
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<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; background-color: white;">As Evan moves between the "front" and "back" of the coffee shop, he questions his own life, examines his feelings, and wonders where he belongs -- in the world of the regular folks, or that of his new best friends.</span></div>
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<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; background-color: white;">Playwright Baker develops an intriguing, indelible bond between these three awkwardly introspective characters, and the premise pays off in poignant dividends by play's end. Director <b>Nathan Motta</b> guides his actors through the drama's most daunting challenge -- plenty of pauses and silence on stage. In this age of instant messaging and tweets, Motta's expert direction utilizes the intimate space perfectly, and he brilliantly coaxes heart-tugging hints of emotion out of each of his performers, sometimes without having them move or speak at all. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; background-color: white;">Alexander V. Thompson is wonderfully complex as the verbally incoherent and rather spaced out KJ. His facial expressions and body movements are performed with exact precision, and his internal intensity. Matt O'Shea as Jasper brings out the passionate undercurrent of the "Aliens" plight. Rejected by his last girlfriend, and rejected by life, he paces and pontificates, smokes incessantly, and finally sits and stares into space. O'Shea finds the heart and soul of the play, and his endearing portrayal breaks viewers' hearts. Joseph Dunn played the part of the angst-driven young Evan with skill. Dunn sensitively takes us back to our youth, and makes us remember why growing old is not so bad. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; background-color: white;">The contributions of the technical staff come together to provide a picture-perfect back-alley environment, including <b>Aaron Benson</b>'s scenic design, <b>Marcus Dana</b>'s lighting, <b>Tesia Benson</b>'s costumes and <b>Richard Ingraham</b>'s sound. </span></div>
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<div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: white; "><br>
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<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; "><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; background-color: white;">Sometimes theatre can reflect life exactly -- like looking in a mirror. But sometimes the reflection is not so clear. Just as the actors look up to the sky to question the point of fireworks on the Fourth of July, some audience members who come to see "The Aliens" may question what it was exactly they saw. The answer is a thought-provoking performance piece that's ideal for anyone looking for something out of the ordinary, or perhaps a little out of "this" world.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; "><span style="background-color: white; "><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><i>LandOfCleve.net is an entertainment blog and production company dedicated to promoting and producing theatre, films, TV shows, and special events in the Northeast Ohio area. If you would like us to come review your next project, write a preview article, or interview one of your cast or crew, send all requests to inthelandofcleve@gmail.com. </i></font></span></div>
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