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Regional Reviews: Las Vegas The Guardian "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you." It's an old joke: When you hear these words, run! Playwright and director Ernest Hemmings takes this message to its darkly funny extreme in The Guardian, a black comedy receiving its world premiere at the Vegas Theatre Company, co-produced by TSTMRKT. Inspired by Nevada's guardianship scandal of 2013-17 as well as strange events in Hemmings' Las Vegas neighborhood during the COVID lockdown, The Guardian delivers a gut punch of shocking humor. Elderly couple Bonnie and Frank are managing just fine in their mortgage-free home until Frank hires the unqualified layabout Kevin for a cut-rate tree removal job because Frank is too cheap to pay a licensed contractor. Kevin brings an uninvited guest, Gladys, who announces herself as the guardian angel sent by the state to ensure that all of Bonnie and Frank's needs are met. With the stroke of a pen, their dream of a carefree life becomes a nightmare. Hemmings is a master at mixing stark horror with twisted wit. There's never a dull moment, because the hits just keep on coming. And there's the rub. Hemmings' script telegraphs the danger from the very start and reaches peak absurdity barely one hour in. There is no room for character development. At intermission, audience members openly anticipated the awful things to come. And their fears were fully realized. Just a few minutes into Act Two, the audience had become palpably uncomfortable, and seemed ready to rise up and take matters into their own hands. There are no surprises here, just an intensely visceral experience. A different writer might have made the guardianship seem benevolent for a while, before spiraling into horror. But on Hemmings' roller coaster, there is no upward climb, just the final plummet. The cast includes some of the valley's most watchable actors. Veterans Gary Lunn and Valerie Carpenter are flawless as Frank and Bonnie. They have great chemistry in the opening scenes where they bicker and poke fun at one other with the familiarity of an old married couple, and in the later scenes where they try desperately to help one another. Their sympathetic portrayal catalyzes the audience response. Carpenter, in particular, is riveting at the critical moment of Bonnie's humiliation. You can feel the audience stirring in anger. Kymberly Mellen is pitch-perfect as Gladys, a skillful saleswoman with a radiant smile, a smooth pitch, and an uncanny ability to gaslight her victims. Mellen brings a welcome shot of adrenalin to each of her scenes. Although the script makes Gladys's malevolence clear from the start, leaving little room for subtlety, Mellen somehow turns this lemon into lemonade. Joshua Berg is a bundle of nervous (drug-fueled?) energy as the ne'er-do-well Kevin, who takes his caretaker job oh-so-seriously. Although his character, too, is given little breathing space, Berg has clearly done the internal work to make Kevin as plausible as possible. If Hemmings' dark wit lacks the complexity and character development of Taylor Mac, Martin McDonagh, or David Ireland, it certainly packs a punch. If you like the bleeding edge of theatre, this one's for you. The Guardian runs through February 8, 2026, at Vegas Theatre Company, 1025 S. 1st St., Las Vegas NV. For tickets ($32) and information, please visit www.theatre.vegas. Cast
Bonnie: Valerie Carpenter Additional Creative
Set Design: Gary Parlanti |