'The Highfliers' a complex place

IU Professor Dennis Reardon said he hoped to pose more questions than give answers with his latest play, "Last Days of the High Flier," which premiered at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre Friday and will be performed at 8 p.m. each night through Saturday. \nIn its exploration of government conspiracies and friendship, "Last Days of the High Flier" does exactly what Reardon intended it to do -- it leaves the viewer looking for answers that just aren't there.\nKevin is a college student working part time as a janitor to pay his tuition when he comes across Fogarty, a graduate student spouting information about top-secret military technologies, wars and the ways in which the government spies on its own citizens. At first, Kevin thinks Fogarty is delusional, but a series of events leads Kevin to realize his phone and car are bugged. \nWith its constant changes in scenery and flashbacks, "Last Days of the High Flier" is, at times, hard to follow. It is difficult to keep up with where and when each scene takes place. The complex plot and themes combined with the continuous shifts in time and location make this play one that requires a highly-attentive and smart audience. Reardon does not spell everything out for his audience. Anyone planning to attend this play must be prepared to put forth a tremendous amount of thought to understand and keep up with what is happening on the stage.\nUnder the direction of Professor Dale McFadden, most of the acting in this play was very strong. Graduate student Brendan Pentzell is particularly effective in his role as the ailing Fogarty, who, at times, seems crazed in his constant monologues about government conspiracy and his internal dialogues with Francis Gary Powers, a pilot imprisoned in Russia after his plane crashed there. In a flashback scene, the emotional pinnacle of the play, Fogarty crawls around Vietnam in his boxers after being injured in a plane crash. He is beaten by Vietnamese soldiers and put in a tiger's cage that is too small for him. Pentzell convincingly yelps out cry of pain and lays shivering and helpless in a fever-driven delirium on the stage floor. Pentzell emerges from this difficult role triumphant in proving his acting abilities.\nSenior Josh Gaboian is strong in his role as Kevin. Gaboian convincingly shifts from happiness to paranoia to extreme depression in rapid succession during quick scene changes. On opening night, I thought Gaboian was a little stiff during the first act, but he became much more comfortable in his role after the intermission.\nSophomore Meg Cionni is highly entertaining in her role as Kevin's self-involved beauty-queen girlfriend Darla. She struts across the stage in trendy 1960s wear, posing in front of mirrors to admire herself. She plays a whining but doting girlfriend, known best for her excellent lasagnas and ability to spend more time at Kevin's apartment than he does. Cionni's portrayal of Darla is comical and effective. She easily steals each scene in which she appears.\nVisiting lecturer Edward Haynes designed a complicated but successful set. The stage is portioned off into different scenes and locations which are hidden by moving walls. The walls shift to reveal new times and places. Instead of transforming the whole stage with the many scene changes, only a portion of the stage is used for each location. In their confined spaces, the representations of Kevin and Fogarty's apartments, the college, the psych ward, Vietnam, a prison cell and the library are realistically detailed and believable.\nWhile the plot is sometimes difficult to follow, Reardon's dialogues are poetic, and comic relief is brought into the most serious of scenes. "Last Days of the High Flier" is a deep, complex play requiring the full concentration of a smart audience. While it may not be for everyone, its examination of government action in the 1960s raises concerns about strikingly similar events of today, especially regarding privacy. Reardon never tells the audience why things are happening, but leaves them to question what everything means and make the connections to today's issues on their own.