The survivor of a horrific childhood is visited by ghosts of his dark and desolate past in Daniel Talbott’s memory play What Happened When, now getting an exquisitely designed Echo Theater Company West Coast Premiere unfortunately made more cryptic than already written by one bad casting choice.

Talbott’s trio of protagonists are first seen huddling together for warmth as Will (Chris Stack) imagines a scenario–somewhere warm on the beach, kids playing with dogs, a big house, good jobs–clearly distinct from their present reality.

Is the tale-spinner Sam (Ellen Neary) and Jimi’s (Randall Clute) father? It would certainly seem so given his physical appearance, which is why it took this reviewer longer than need be to figure out that the family members are in fact siblings, and that Will is supposed to be only two or three years older than younger teen brother Jimi and never more than in his early twenties.

Spanning a period of five years, What Happens When unpeels the layers of abuse that have scarred a sister and her two younger brothers for life.

The less revealed about what transpires over that half decade, the better. Suffice it to say that for audiences paying close attention (names in particular bear heeding), Talbott’s play, sensitively directed by Chris Fields, provides moments of emotional punch.

Clute does memorable work as the most damaged of the three siblings. Stack brings Will to ruckus-raising life but his inability to pass for anywhere near early-20s throws the entire production off kilter. Neary is touching in Sam’s briefer scenes.

Where this Echo Theater midweek offering does score a perfect 10 is in its stunning production design. “You are there” seating turns audience members into virtual voyeurs to scenic designer Amanda Knehans’ inches-away bedroom set, one whose Jackson Pollock-esque walls take on a life of their own thanks to Rose Malone’s stunning lighting design as sound designer John Zalewski underscores the action with ominous rumbles and mood-setting music. Elio Oliver’s costumes are first-rate as well.

Venice Yang is production stage manager.

Following its current three-week run, What Happens When reopens in July and then again in September (each time featuring a different combination of Echo ensemble members) and I just might head back this summer to see how it plays with an appropriately cast Will. If nothing else, Daniel Talbott’s latest is sixty-five minutes of theater you’ll be talking about long after its fade to black.

The Echo Theater Company @ Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village.
www.EchoTheaterCompany.com

–Steven Stanley
April 18, 2018
Photos: Darrett Sanders

Tags: Daniel Talbott, Echo Theater Company, Los Angeles Theater Review