When you enter one of the indyFringe Festival venues you never know what to expect, shows range from the sub-par to the sublime. Crossing the Bridge, presented by the Leonix Movement Theatre Ensemble, is by far one of the latter. From the opening few minutes to the final scene the audience is struck with the feeling that they are watching true artists performing at the highest level.
Crossing the Bridge is the sad story of David, played by Warsaw, Indiana product Matt Van Curen, who learns he is in the advanced stages of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus AIDS. The story line focuses on the personal relationships of both David and his sister Kate, played by Isabel Nelson. There are moments when the two siblings are both with their boyfriends, Diogo Lopes and Jones Welsh respectively, that are so intimate and real the audience feels as though they are spying on the loving couples. The cast is rounded out by Meredyth Hunt who, along with Lopes and Welsh, play various roles throughout the show; with each character they portray feeling as real as the last.
While the dialog of Crossing the Bridge is both poetic and emotionally gripping, it is when the actors are not speaking but rather telling their stories through pantomime and dance that their acting abilities shine brightest. The production uses minimal props throughout the show with one exception, an eight-foot table. The members of Leonix Movement Theatre use the table so often and so well that it almost deserves a bio in the shows program.
The last ten minutes of the show deal almost exclusively with David and his sister trying to come to terms with the fact that end is rapidly approaching. The audience witnesses David’s final days as Van Curen masterfully withers away right in front of their faces using no costumes or special effects, just pure acting talent. To put it simply, shows like Crossing the Bridge that make the indyFringe Festival so worthwhile.
This weekend will be your final chance to get yourself to the Mass Ave theatre district in downtown Indianapolis to take in the indyFringe festival so don’t miss it. Crossing the Bridge is playing at the Earth House Collective here in Indianapolis and is just one of the great shows that will be playing there all weekend.
Crossing the Bridge remaining shows:
Saturday August 29, 1:30pm
Sunday August 30, 9:00pm
