"Lobby Hero" one of the best shows of the year
By Sean Leary, ARGUS/DISPATCH -- August 27, 2003
Photo by John Greenwood

`Lobby Hero' will be presented by New Ground Theatre at 7:30 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday, at 2 p.m. Sunday and Sept. 4-7 at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf. Tickets are $12, $10 for seniors and students. Call (563) 326-7529.

Reviewing New Ground Theatre's shows has become a favorite part of my job. Not only are they unique and provocative, they're also invariably of high quality.

The latest, ``Lobby Hero'' is no exception. It is probably one of the best New Ground shows I've seen -- which means, like the rest, it's an absolute must-see.

Written by Kenneth Lonergan (the scribe behind the Oscar-nominated ``You Can Count on Me''), ``Lobby Hero'' delves into the murky shades of truth and the consequences of being honest, or even trying to be. It presents an imperfect batch of characters, each of whom exhibits both good and bad traits, and examines their motivations, society's surface perception of them, and their true identities. It's not afraid to tell it like it is -- that often it's the most honest people in this world who are the least accepted and the most persecuted.

It's hard for me to describe the show without giving away too much of its plot and spoiling it. I'd rather just wholeheartedly recommend you see it and enjoy its surprises for yourself. But given your natural inclination to want to know a bit about it, I'll try to navigate my way around the story without giving too much away.

Various crimes are perpetrated by the four characters involved, each of whom is a security officer of some sort, and therefore being paid to uphold the law. Some of the crimes are large; some are small. Some of the larger ones are swept under the rug or disregarded when they should be emphasized, and some of the smaller ones are blown out of proportion. But in each case, the trespasses reveal interesting aspects of the characters involved and also make the audience question the way society deals with -- or rather fails to deal with -- the truth.

``Lobby Hero'' opens with a schlubby, hard-luck security guard, Jeff (Rick Davis), being dressed down by his by-the-book supervisor, William (Torron D. Crawford), for reasons both justified and unjustified. It begins with a simple enough premise and one-dimensional characters, but it quickly begins peeling back the layers of their personas, revealing them as multilayered people in a vibrant picture teeming with ambiguity.

Jeff seems like nothing more than a slacker, but over the course of the show, it's revealed that he's actually a fairly honest guy who has been seemingly overpunished for trespasses that are minor in the grand scheme of things. Whether his motivation to be honest is driven by fear, inability to lie well or an actual goodness is another question entirely.

Regardless, his lurking integrity ends up being a thorn in the side of his boss, who confides a secret to him and ends up feeling nervous about its security.

Meanwhile, the guards' lives become intertwined with those of a pair of police officers, Bill (Dick Lafrenz) and Dawn (Jamie Em Johnson). Coincidence and circumstance first join them, but by the time the show ends, their lives are messily smashed together more than any of them would have desired.

The relationship between the two cops changes as well, moving from light to dark and seesawing back and forth again before coming into a very stark contrast.

Things are never quite what they seem to be in ``Lobby Hero.'' But then again, when you think about it later on, they actually are exactly what you expected. The four people in the play bring you to like and dislike them to different degrees in different situations. However, when all is said and done, you realize they end up exactly the same as they were at the beginning. The only thing that changes is your ability to decipher the motivations behind their actions, which leads you to glean their true characters.

There's not much I can criticize about ``Lobby Hero.'' The writing is brilliant; the direction is masterful; and the acting is excellent.

Living up to my high expectations for his performance, Rick Davis is a revelation. Here's a guy who has made his bones doing improv and stand-up comedy and is perhaps best known in the area as ``the guy in the Casino Rock Island commercials.'' No more. After this show, it will be impossible not to recognize Mr. Davis' considerable talent as an actor both in the dramatic and comedic realms. Given his already substantial ability and reputation in comedy, with this show Mr. Davis establishes himself as one of the most gifted performers on the local stage.

Torron D. Crawford proves to be another breakout star. If you've known him for his bit parts on the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse stage and his limited role as a Bootlegger at Circa, you're in for a very pleasant surprise. Mr. Crawford is terrific as the conflicted straight arrow who struggles with his conscience.

Given her strong showings in the past, Jamie Johnson's great performance is no surprise. She brings palpable passion to her role as the upstart trainee, frustrated to rage with the injustice around her. Usually stuck in broad roles as a loopy free spirit, Ms. Johnson proves she has the ability to tackle meatier, more nuanced characters.

Dick Lafrenz's icily level and slimily persuasive Bill is likewise well done. As the show's ostensible villain, Bill's amoral confidence and almost demonic ability to manipulate reality to his selfish whims is chilling. This is evil with a sharpness and subtlety you rarely see in local shows.

``Lobby Hero'' is a phenomenal show. I wish I could reveal more about it, but believe me, it's too complex to dissect without giving all of its surprises away. And one of the most compelling things about it is riding along all the risky curves the plot takes. I wouldn't want to spoil one minute of that.

It definitely will make you think; it definitely will impress you; and it definitely will stay with you a while after you’ve seen it. Without a doubt, it's one of the best shows you will see on a local stage in 2003. Do not miss it.

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