LEE HARTGRAVE TONIGHT - 'A MAZE' SURE AS HELL IS COMPLEX

A MAZE 

FREEDOM FOR ALL 

There I was - sitting on the aisle seat as the dialogue takes us on a brilliant theme. Not just one theme, but many. There is a man who is trying to arrange over 15,000 pages of strange themes. Actually this man is so weird that you might wonder what he is up to. Well, here is some of the story. This writer is very creepy. He meets up with a young girl who is not happy with her family. She somehow hooks up with this very strange man. She grows up over the years, and the strange man keeps her locked up in the basement. He only lets her slightly free only while he is there. When he isn't there -- she becomes a prisoner to a nut. It's an addiction. Will she escape? I won't tell you. I'll let you dig deep in the play. There are many exciting moments that interweave these stories. It's a thrilling ride.   

In this shifting work of Art - there is exciting pieces that go from one stranger to another. Each character brings to the stage a new story, as A Maze twists everything. Yes, you do get lost in this internal mess. 

Here's the thing. There are very dark secrets that will keep you in the dark. Many short stories bring to the stage A King and a Queen. Then there is a Rock star (Paul) Harold Pierce and (Oksana) Sarah Moser. They both have just left a rehab clinic. 

The imprisoned girl is growing up. She is trying to escape a Maze of her own. Does it work? Yes and no. She is still very neurotic. The writer Clive Worsley, is Beeson. Yep, he's the one who locks up Sarah in the basement. She's been there for several years. Finding your way out of this locked basement is not an easy task to escape. 

There is a lot to put all of this on the plate. You have to think deeply to figure out just what this Maze has in mind. Many challenges will trip through your head. This 'A Maze' surely would not be for children. They would get lost in the dialogue. Heck - I'm old and I get lost easily in this show. However, it does challenge everything on this dark day and night that eventually bring us a tense and inspiring evening. "It's unforgettable!" "Stellar Performances. Uniquely Engaging!" 

HERE IS BRILLIANT CAST: Lasse Christiansen - Janis Delucia - Carl Holvick-
Thomas - Frannie Morrison - Sarah Moser - Harold Pierce - Lauren Spencer - Clive Worsley. 

DIRECTOR MOLLY AARONSON-GELB 
Riveting

RATING: FIVE GLASSES OF CHAMPAGNE*****

(((Lee Hartgrave has contributed many articles to the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Datebook and he also contributed many stories and reviews on PBS KQED - 7 years)))