'Murder, Mayhem and Madness' is riveting

The Bloomington Playrights Project's newest ensemble of four plays, all united under the theme "Murder, Mayhem and Madness," is for fans of bloodcurdling scenes, twisted plots and macabre endings. The location itself of the BPP reminded me of some sort of underground club, as you are led from a bright, well-lit front room into a dark, dusty, semi-creepy stage area filled with murmuring patrons. \nThe darkness and my unfamiliarity with the building helped set the mood for the theme. However, the original theater I experienced was not to be missed -- each play left me glued to my seat, heart racing, fingers clutching my program, simply waiting for the next twisted plot to begin. \n"The Good Paper," the first play presented, was one of the most humorous and straight-edged plays of the night. It featured a bizarre twist in the middle and a change of power, as brilliant chemistry major Howie (Kevin Wallskog) uses his wits and cunning to overcome Simon (Bob Risher), who bursts into his home with two guns, ready to kill him for taking the contents of his storage unit, which, curiously enough, was only filled with paper. \nIt seemed that only a few dark seconds elapsed between the first performance and that of "The Only Night," the second play of the evening, which told the story of a horrific business with the sole purpose of helping disgruntled people commit suicide. However, the boss of the operation and her overly perky, sexually charged secretary Shelia, perfectly portrayed by Nicole Bruce, are also interested in the reasons for the potential suicide attempt. In dragging the reasons for his desire for death out of their confused customer Aaron Maxwell (Nathan Brown), the three are engaged in a game of mental torture until the sudden death of the boss's twin sister, when the slightly deranged "Mrs. Jacobs" calls her own casual attitude about death into question. A surprise confession then twists the plot back around again for a shocking ending. All characters showed great levels of depth as the plot progressed, and the play definitely portrayed the mayhem and madness of the central theme of the evening.\nThe shortest play of the night, "The Deaths of Timothy McVeigh," definitely made my heart beat the fastest. The play recreated the death by lethal injection that Oklahoma city bomber McVeigh (Bobby Hackett) faced after his publicized trial with one added twist -- McVeigh is brought back to life and given the death that much of the public felt he warranted. The horrifying death that McVeigh is told he deserves truly expressed the rage that citizens felt after the damage he caused. Curiously enough, McVeigh himself does not speak a single word throughout the play.\nThe final play, "Welcome to the Atrocity Exhibition," was one of the most thought-provoking plays of the evening. The scene opens on Richard (Victor Kinzer), a college student who is the sole person on earth who knows the meaning of life. The problem is, every time he tells anyone his secret they commit suicide. Though the title of this play is never explained and the meaning of life never revealed, you are left wondering what possible revelation could be so horrible as to lead to certain death. \nFuture events at the BPP include the Dark Alley late night performance series, which takes place throughout the year starting in September. Based on the original theater I've experienced here so far, none are to be missed. \nFor more information on upcoming events at the Bloomington Playwright's Project, see www.newplays.org.