Drama Beat
New West Theatre’s upcoming production of The Nicole Moeller penned drama “An Almost Perfect Thing,” is a departure in a lot of ways.
Not only is it a straight out thriller rather than a comedy or drama, it is also an all Albertan production. The actors, who mainly have backgrounds in comedy, are spreading their wings into a more dramatic vein.
“The play is about a girl who gets kidnapped when she is 12 and is kept until she is 18 when she escapes and contacts a journalist named Greg to tell the story of what happened,” summarized director Stacie Harrison.
“ It is a story abou
t the media and what is true and what isn’t, and the kind of information we get from print and social media,” she continued.
Harrison was not only attracted to the psychological elements of the characters of the play, but also got on board because she wanted to work with New West Theatre.
“It’s been great. Everybody has been so supportive and kind. They’ve been a great company to work for,” she said.
For former New West Theatre member Nicholas Hanson, it is a long awaited return to stage. He hasn’t been on stage with New West since 2007 when he was in “Sitting in Paradise.” Though he has been in a few smaller, one or two night shows. He was attracted to “An Almost Perfect Thing,” because he wanted to stretch his acting chops at something more dramatic. He plays the “bad” guy, the kidnapper Matthew, who kidnaps a 12-year-old girl , Chloe, (played by Rachel Bowran), who escapes at age 18 and contacts a journalist Greg (Andy Curtis) to tell her story.
“Well bad is a relative term. That’s the morality in this play though there is no denying people who abduct children are monsters,” said Hanson, who usually plays more comedic roles.
“There is a real intelligence to the psychology of this character,” he said.
