Dry Land, Ruby Rae Spiegel’s darkly comic, graphically disturbing off-off-Broadway play about a high school swimmer desperate to terminate her unwanted pregnancy by whatever means possible, returns to Los Angeles in an impressive limited-run guest production at the Atwater Village Theatre.

Olivia Jude and Rachel Kinzler make powerhouse L.A. stage debuts as high school swim teammates Amy and Ester, whose post-practice locker room conversation (centering on nothing more out of the ordinary than moms, boys, periods, college, and sex) is today punctuated by the repeated stomach punches Amy keeps demanding of her fellow swimmer.

When talk turns to “the Internet pill thing” that would require both a credit card and a fake ID (neither of which either girl has) or the possible imbibing of laundry detergent or Purex or straight vodka, it becomes clear what Amy’s dilemma is and why she’s turned to someone outside her closest social circle to help her out of this jam.

Not much “happens” in Dry Land, at least not until about two-thirds of the way through, mostly teenage chitchat that rings absolutely true, hardly surprising given that Spiegel was barely in her twenties when her play made its 2014 debut.

Dry Land is not for the prudish, nor is it for the squeamish (I repeat, it is not for the squeamish), nor is it simply “a play about abortion,” though it will make you reflect on the topic in a way you may never have before, regardless of whether you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life or somewhere on the fence.

 That playwright Spiegel manages to do this without tipping her own hand makes her work even more remarkable.

Audiences are sure to be talking about Dry Land long after they’ve left the theater, both for the questions it raises (without providing easy answers) and for the powerful, assured performances director Austin Cauldwell has elicited from the production’s two equally superb leads, whose work only get richer and more complex as the DIY abortion clock keeps ticking and Amy’s desperation reaches a fevered pitch.

Jude combines cheerleader looks, casual mean girl cruelty, and aching vulnerability as alpha female Amy, whose tough-cookie exterior serves as armor when forced to face adult challenges without adult wisdom and perspective.

Kinzler matches her scene partner every step of the way as Amy’s eager, adoring acolyte/accomplice, a girl for whom swimming may be the only ticket out of a go-nowhere small-town Florida life.

David Levi nails his one scene as dork-next-door Victor, the the awkwardly charming college student who lends Ester a place to crash, a sympathetic ear, and some calamine lotion when needed.

A delightfully catty Tiffany Ho pops in from time to time as Amy and Ester’s flighty teammate Reba, though she’d be even more effective in with a less rushed line delivery.

Finally, Brad Wilson makes a brief but effective appearance as a school janitor no longer fazed by the unexpected.

Los Angeles audiences who recall Dry Land’s 2016 Ovation Award-winning Best Production West Coast Premiere (and its subsequent transfer from Atwater Village to the Kirk Douglas) will be impressed by how competitive this independent guest production is, not just for its direction and performances but also for Cauldwell’s believable locker room set design, one that morphs ingeniously into a college dorm hallway, Gavan Wyrick’s accomplished lighting, Sophia Turcol’s edgy indie pop-infused sound design, and Verity Azario’s character-perfect costumes, and fight director Justin Chesney has us believing those blows do actually hurt.

Dry Land is produced by Jude, Kinzler, Cauldwell, Eliza Paprin, Nick Hoult, Brett Berman, Brannon Braga, and Steven and Debilyn Kinzler. Paprin is assistant director. Rachel Frost is stage manager. Kayla Louie is technical director.

At times tough to watch but never less than compelling, Dry Land not only gives rising L.A.-based talent a chance to show off their dramatic stuff, it packs a wallop you’ll still be recovering from long after its fade to black.

Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave, Atwater Village.

–Steven Stanley
November 21, 2024

Tags: Atwater Village Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Ruby Rae Spiegel