BWW Reviews: Black Lab Theatre's THE SUBMISSION - A Must See Topical, Realistic Dramedy

Darcy Cadman's Trevor is fun and funny. The audience simply enjoys his infatuation and flirting with Candice D'Meza's Emilie. In many ways, he is a mirror to how the audience reacts to and views Emilie. As he physically and emotionally falls in love and supports her, we love her for who she is as well. Like Darcy Cadman's Trevor we see a brave woman who is valuable and deserving of affection. As he is also involved with the action of the dramedy, Darcy Cadman's Trevor adeptly reacts to the events occurring around him. Like the others, Darcy Cadman creates a character that is undeniably real. He is relatable and wins us over from his first appearance on stage. The audience completely understands his views from beginning to end and will often find themselves in his corner.

Alex Jainchill's Lighting Design is perfect for the space and show. Alex Jainchill creates a nice ambient light for the scenes and keeps the actors in believable realistic lighting as they switch from the interior of Starbucks, to the interior of an apartment, to the interior of hotel rooms.

Claire A Jac Jones' Scenic Design is fantastic. She captures the mood and vibe of Starbucks with ease, but her best work has to be the two differing hotel rooms. Emilie, as part of the festival, gets a swanky room with neat, modern trimmings while Danny is in a crummy and seedy looking room that is realistically aged. The details of the stains on the chair, carpet, and door itself are all perfectly in place. It is these details that impress the most and showcase Claire A Jac Jones' skill and dedication to her art.

Costume Design by Macy Perrone is completely realistic and believable. Each character is clad in modern clothing that perfectly suits their personalities. No piece seems out of place or awkward.

Yezminne Zepeda's Sound Design works well with the piece. Her ambient noise for Starbucks is spot on perfect. Likewise, her choice of music for between the scenes fits with the show as a whole and does nothing to detract from the experience.

With all the laughs along the way, Jeff Talbott's play is fiercely intellectual and has an ending that is not a surprise, per se, but will still surprise audiences. This is the type of show that you'll be talking about for some time to come. Mix his great writing in with this phenomenal and magnificently talented cast and crew, and Houston has their first must not be missed straight play of 2013. Everything about this production is relevant, real, current, topical, and important. Without spoiling the evening, I will simply say that the message of this play needs to be heard by one and all.

The must-see Black Lab Theatre production of Jeff Talbott's THE SUBMISSION runs through January 27, 2013 at the Frenetic Theater at 5102 Navigation Boulevard, Houston, Texas. Because of language and content, the play is recommended for mature audiences. For more information and tickets, please visit http://www.blacklabtheater.com/ or call (713) 515-4028.

Photos by Jordan Jaffe. All images courtesy of Black Lab Theatre.

Candice D'Meza as Emilie and Ross Bautsch as Danny.

Candice D'Meza as Emilie and Ross Bautsch as Danny.