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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Safety Not Guaranteed Also see Susan's review of Inherit the Wind
Director Oliver Butler brings non-stop kinetic energy to this 100-minute production, performed without an intermission. Six fine singing actors give everything to the audience while shifting configurations of self-propelled pieces of furniture into and out of Arnulfo Maldonado's set; the five onstage musicians, led by Jeff Tanski, perform from moving raised platforms behind the actors. The premise revolves around a classified ad asking for a volunteer to join the poster in a time-travel experiment. Jeff (Preston Truman Boyd), editor of a struggling magazine in Seattle, decides that the ad–whether a joke, a fraud, or real–is worthy of a story, so he rounds up staffers Darius (Mia Pak) and Arnau (Tyler Dobies) and they head to find the poster in a small Washington State town. While the primary throughline brings Darius together with Kenneth (Gunnar Manchester), who truly believes in what he's doing, the other two also make connections with locals during their visit. The songs take inspiration from a variety of genres and serve the time-travel theme by opening gateways into earlier times. Each character has a backstory of loss, despair, isolation, and so forth, all conjured up by the music and the ways the actors respond to it. Choreographer Lisa Fagan also picks up on the moods as one character yearns for more from life than online gaming, another seeks out "the one who got away," and Darius and Kenneth bond over the tragedies that have shaped their lives so far. (Blaemire never allows the story to get too maudlin; physical comedy plays a major part in a few scenes.) In addition to Maldonado's flexible set pieces and some unexpected props, lighting designer Jason Lyons has incorporated everything from institutional fluorescent bulbs to constantly moving, colorful patterns on the walls at the rear of the stage. Shahrzad Mazaheri's costumes add depth to the actors' characterizations. Safety Not Guaranteed runs through April 12, 2026, at Signature Theatre, MAX Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington VA. For tickets and information, please call 703-820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org. Music and lyrics by Ryan Miller Cast: Musicians: |
