I love a good mystery, particularly in a play as well-produced as Backyard Renaissance Theatre’s world premiere “The Dark Heart of Dooley Stevens.”
The play has two fine actors with great onstage chemistry, MJ Sieber and Jessica John, an exceptional set by Mathys Herbert, and eerie atmospheric lighting and sound by designers Curtis Mueller and Logan Kirkendall, respectively.
But the mystery in Francis Gercke’s dark comedy-drama is one that I was never able to unravel while watching the two-act play that opened last weekend at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in East Village.
Is it a story about grief and trauma? Is it about violence and the power dynamic between men and women? Is it a nightmare come to life? Is one of the characters dead for part of the show? And why is the refrigerator onstage filled with only pickles and eggs?
Set in the mid-’90s in a rundown trailer home in the Southwest desert, “Dark Heart” is the story of Cindy and Dooley, combative exes who have been separated while Dooley was doing time in prison. When he shows up uninvited at Cindy’s door, she wings him with a pistol, then eventually lets him in. From there, they argue, make up, search for a mysterious ice chest, hide from mysterious beings outside, have breakfast and ultimately reveal some dark truths about their past.
Gercke has incorporated elements of magical realism into his play, including one grisly ritualistic scene where Cindy symbolically absorbs Dooley’s essence and they swap some personality traits. There are many other mysterious happenings in this play, but I don’t want to spoil the surprises for others.
In the hands of director Hannah Meade, the play has an engrossing horror movie quality, with a jump scare or two, but the story’s arc is hard to follow.
Sieber and John have reunited onstage after co-starring as lovers in Backyard’s 2024 production “The Beauty Queen of Leenane.” As Dooley, Sieber has a sweet, endearing quality and he’s quite funny in the role. And as Cindy, John brings a weird unpredictability and iciness to her emotionally guarded character.
The play’s first act sets the play’s tone but it doesn’t reveal much so it drags a bit. The superior second act does fill in some of the blanks, but there are questions left unanswered and motivations unexplained.
This is the second play that Backyard has premiered by Gercke, who is the company’s artistic director. Both plays have had the same mix of horror and comedy. Gercke is quite skilled at building characters and writing humorous and poetic dialogue. But “Dark Heart” could have used more development before its premiere.
‘The Dark Heart of Dooley Stevens’
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Through March 15
Where: Backyard Renaissance Theatre at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, 930 Tenth Ave., downtown
Tickets: $15-$50
Phone: 760-975-7189
Online: backyardrenaissance.com
