Trinity Rep really delivers on their newest production: “The Receptionist”.

Written by Adam Bock, an up-and-coming young playwright trained here in Providence, RI, you can see why this guy might become huge.

His writing is just so fresh… which is funny because he writes about the banal. That’s right, Adam Bock writes real life better than you experience it. Pretty much. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

“The Receptionist” is the story of Beverly Wilkins (played to perfection by Janice Duclos), a receptionist at a non-descript office. She interacts with her female boss, Lorraine (a shrill Angela Brazil). The two of them are waiting for their boss Mr. Raymond to come back into the office. What Bock does so well is write normal speech. The two engage is office gossip, answer the phone, and do menial tasks. Believe me, it’s all fascinating. The audience is soon lulled into a sense of security. We feel like we understand the setting (a brilliantly lit office, seriously, mad props to set/lighting design for this show). After a bit, a Mr. Dart (Timothy John Smith) arrives to speak with Mr. Raymond. All seems matter-of-fact until everything changes.

Yes, I am going to leave you at this cliffhanger. But this is Bock’s style. Everything is normal until it isn’t. I’ll skip over the rest of the show but I can truthfully say I experienced true fear during this performance. The ensemble created a thrilling environment and I was along for the ride.

So the ensemble: Janice Duclos was divine. Adam Bock even admitted to writing the show so she could star in it. She takes the cake. I did find Angela Brazil’s character grating but Ms. Brazil works mighty to garner sympathy throughout the show. Mr Raymond (a barely-seen Timothy Crowe) is powerful in his restraint. Listen closely to his first act opening monologue. It will make sense by the end of the show.

I was disappointed by the direction of Martin Dart, played by Mr. Smith. He seemed to be oddly stylized to the point where his bluster distracted me. He took me out of it. I would chalk this up to a directorial choice but his almost stereotypical approach to a “by-the-books-ma’am” character made his performance seem over-acted in the face of the uber-naturalistic work of the other three performers. Adam Bock works so hard at harnessing his words in the everyday that it was a shame that Martin Dart was so irregular. But I’m just being picky!

The final moments will scare the hell out of you so hold on to your seat. I would say let yourself we taken in by the normality of it all. I can guarantee you that when it all changes, you will lean forward in your chair and listen harder than you ever have before. Because really, when something important happens… are you just the innocent “Receptionist” who answers the phones but takes no responsibility? Or are you as much to blame? Food for thought. Food for thought, my dear. But forget me! I’ve already seen the show! Check it out for yourself.

Now playing through January 11th.

Running time: 85min–so it seems like a little bite of theatre… but what a chunk it’ll take outta ya!

-Nicky G
Image courtesy of Trinity Rep