Circle Mirror Transformation

I recently caught Washburn University's production of the bright and shiny new play Circle Mirror Transformation. The play is about an remedial acting class in a small fictitious town in Vermont. The people in the class get to know each other through the various acting games/activites that they participate in.

The production itself was very visually stimulating. The long sweeping lines of the set gives the audience the circular feeling. The acting and costumes were solid as well. Generally, the acting and the costumes were solid as well.

Mostly, where I thought the show as lacking was the script itself. This script composed of entirely too many scenes and when I say too many scenes, I mean upwards of fifty scenes all separated by a punctuating blackout. These blackouts came at times where there should have been character development, but unfortunately left the audience in the dark as to who these people were. While this seems like a little thing, I was left with a lethargy about their conflicts and relationships and ultimately didn't care about where the play went. I found the script rather shallow.