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Regional Reviews: St. Louis Confetti Kids
Stories of the radioactive waste contamination in North St. Louis County have come and gone since World War II. But those sad anecdotes have always been freighted with a plaintive earnestness and a lonely beseeching quality, as if the residents around Coldwater Creek in Florissant, Missouri were doomed to remain voices crying in the wilderness. But the quiet problem turns Promethean in this fiery new show. Don't get me wrong, the characters do regularly cry, beseech, and even howl. But it's all done in a perfectly naturalistic way, mixed with humor and family arguments for genuine drama in a 90-minute example of the "well-made play." And far from a sense of helplessness, we get an energetic, clashing version of the same story of clusters of cancer and birth defects and sweeping government neglect that comes with the punch of a uranium-tipped missile under the direction of Ms. Strom. The story penetrates on several levels, with a wordlessly fun dance solo becoming an unexpected narrative device late in the action. And there's the repeated use of colorful confetti as a metaphor for something much darker, which is strangely effective. All of this takes us by surprise in the way things keep turning into their opposite, just as Nicole Angeli takes on another "important" role (something she's known for) and makes it vastly more down to earth, to our delight. Ms. Angeli's change in approach is fully in keeping with the tone of the play: she takes something socially or theatrically consequential and turns it into something more deeply personal. As Rachel Graves, a data analyst, she lends credibility to a neighborhood in crisis. And as the mother of a teenage daughter who's swept up in the drama of an impending high school prom, both end up meeting in the middle of the crisis. Either way, it's a rare case where a socially important role becomes more and more endearing, for the sake of the play. Stylistic conventions, in performance and story, are subverted again and again. And Ms. Angeli sacrifices her most notable gift, a sense of infinite grandeur, in the service of a fascinating production. Tia René Williams is lovably flawed and immediate as Rachel's daughter Maya. And their kitchen table clashes reach resounding heights that metaphorically strip each woman bare. But Maya's strength and teenage defiance grow scornful even to her, forcing new growth even as the story brings out fresh new contrasts in character and conflict. The whole thing blazes with a series of boisterous performances, with each of the four characters rapidly catching fire. The key to social change here lies in goading people beyond the level of endurance and in the process, director Strom finds a loud musicality in the venting of all that. There are also lots of polished videos to enhance Rachel's speeches about the true history of our local radioactive contamination problem, which dates back to the Manhattan Project. Those are courtesy of Eric Satterfield and Cecile Entz, with additional videography by Brian Dooley. Contextually, those multi-media snippets may subtly stand in for all the usual signs and placards of agit-prop. But along with that, the incendiary cross-talk among the play's four characters seems to come straight out of the Haymarket Affair. The other two actors on stage, Adam Flores and Hailey Medrano, are fantastic, both delivering highly charged performances. He's Rachel's doctor, placing increasingly harsh demands on her and further raising the level of drama. Ms. Medrano is Maya's high school English teacher, facing lots of modern problems in education. And her 21st century conundrums place a terrible challenge on the usual theatrical audience, hoping the next generation will simply solve our problems for us. The lovely set is by Erik Kuhn, with surprisingly nice costumes by Kayla Lindsay and professional lighting by Theresa Comstock. And, just like the dance solo that carries an awful twist with it, or the mother and daughter's relationship that rattles them both, a recurring audio flashback (designed by Ellie Schwetye) twists everything around in the final moments. Still the show avoids didacticism or scolding or anything like complete despair. Nor does it become high-minded in its survey. It's just a fast-paced drama that makes you believe you can take charge of change, and that you must. Confetti Kids, produced by Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble, runs through September 5, 2026, at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive, St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.satestl.org Cast: Production Staff: |
