SALT LAKE CITY — I saw Spiral Bound at the Salt Lake Fringe Festival on Saturday, July 27th. Honestly, this play, written by Madelyn Salazar, was amazing. I really enjoyed so much about it, particularly the use of special effects. Throughout the play, Martha (played by June Rose) says her phone is trying to kill her (it plays this awful doomsday notice whenever she looks at it), and during a dream sequence later on, the lights become red as the actors shout out doomsday-like headlines about climate change, gun violence, etc. There’s the scene where Martha is on a date with Ben (played by Michael Henry Davies) and the lights have this cool, yellow tone with insect sound effects to indicate the time of day. There are also multiple prop changes, that while small, are extremely effective.
The cast will switch out the furniture to prep for the next scene, often carrying a couch, boxes, tables and chairs, making the sparse set design very effective. The relationships between the characters felt very authentic. When Vivian (played by River Robinson) appears, I thought the characters were twins since they appear so close in age, but Vivian is the older sister (though ages aren’t revealed, only implied) who feels responsible for Martha, the younger one. It’s easy to believe that these characters know each other, but the best chemistry comes from Martha and her mom (played by Kim Hansen). They are practically the same character, or at least Martha has inherited a lot of her mother’s neuroses, and their conversation feels very natural. Martha’s mother suggests that she look into Ben, and Martha asks, “What does Cindy’s son do? Is he a cop?” “No,” her mother replies, “he’s a stalker.”
Fringe Festival runs through August 4. | PC: Fickle Mistress Theatre Co.
From beginning to end, Spiral Bound is insanely witty and there were laughs throughout. The directing, also done by Madelyn Salazar, really comes through in the nonverbal language that Martha uses throughout the play, and the pace feels very good, never really slowing down. There is one moment in the play where Martha is going on dates, and this interchanged with her interviews, and this moment did feel a bit long. But at one point, there is a ticking sound that plays over the music, and when it rings the scene ends, which was nice.
Spiral Bound is a must see while at Fringe – there’s a lot to enjoy, and some audiences might relate to the anxiety from being bombarded with the Doomsday prophesying in today’s media landscape.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
