GEEK N OUT REVIEW
"Night in Alachua County"
Reviewer: Jacob Bates
Horror is a genre that is quite difficult to portray effectively, and taking the scary to the stage only makes it more tedious. Luckily, Wildclaw Theatre shows their mastery of this craft in "Night in Alachua County". What makes this play so effective at horror? Because it's like Barry White's sweaty armpit; deep, dark, uncomfortable and above all dripping with atmosphere.
Our story follows Violet (Krista D'Agostino) as she returns home to Alachua County, FL after being away from the backwoods for 17 years. It is here that she must face the mother Crystal (Allison Cain) and sister Lily (Kathryn Acosta) that she left behind so long ago. Through conversations, threats, screamings, and the occasional gunshot we come to understand the dark past that drove Violet away in the first place. The interactions between Violet and her mother are what serve to cause the audience members to constantly remain uneasy with the situation at hand. Without revealing too much of the plot, we come to learn of Crystal's responsibility in Violet's history with her deceased father. There isnt a weak member among the cast and Id like to commend the ensemble on their southern dialect; coming from East Texas I often find myself taken out of the story and rolling my eyes when people perform an over the top southern drawl (looking at you Jodie Foster; you know what you did).
However, I feel the real star of the show must go to the set design. At its best you can describe the set as immersive and finely detailed, and at worst it is a fascinating distraction. I often found myself wanting to crawl around during the show and touch every blade of grass, every tile on the dirt floor and all the scratches and blemishes on the trailer home. With so much love put into each detail, the atmosphere of the show is only heightened further.
If you're looking for a good scare and some good southern drama, perhaps you should spend a night "In Alachua County".
Tickets can be purchased through the Wildclaw Theatre website . For more information or to purchase tickets, you can visit http://www.wildclawtheatre.com
Jacob is a regular contributor to the Geek n Out Blog. You can find him being professionaly good looking on Instagram @jacob_himself.