REVIEW: Below the Fold

Ann K. Flynn plays the neglected wife of a compulsive blogger (Jesse Pearlman) in Dave Flomberg's autobiographical drama Below the Fold, recently given a world premiere by Equinox Theatre Company.

Too bad you missed it. But it's not surprising. A new play, produced by a new theatre company in a small theatre tucked somewhere in the Lowry development and performing only on Sunday afternoons, Monday and Tuesday nights? It's a wonder anyone made it to see Below the Fold.

And yet, Equinox Theatre Company enjoyed several well deserved full houses at the intimate John Hand Theatre. Those who got to see the show will long remember it as a thoughtful, intelligent and heartfelt autobiographical drama about a compulsive blogger's reflections on life, family, echoes of Vietnam and anti-Semitism, punctuated by touching human interest stories.

Based on several years' worth of actual blogs by former Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Flomberg, adapted for the stage and directed by his sister Deb Flomberg, Below the Fold boasts a fair amount of self-obsessed journalistic navel gazing, but the sincere search for meaning in life and reconciliation with childhood hurts makes for a compelling, often humorous evening of theatre.

This isn't the first time a columnist has seen his work performed onstage. James Thurber, Jules Feiffer and others come to mind. But this is the first one I've seen that evolved from the free and instantly proliferated world of Internet blogging.

The vignettes vary in length and focus, but are tied together by the blogger Michael (Jesse Pearlman), whose introspective sharing of personal experiences becomes cathartic and therapeutic, even while he neglects and endangers actual relationships with his wife and parents. Whether he's meeting strangers on a bus, immigrant co-workers or recalling childhood bullies, it's always about HIM.

What prevents Flomberg's public presentation of private musings from becoming self-indulgent exhibitionism is his sensitivity to the tenderness, pain and humor intrinsic in all fallen humanity. I couldn't help but think that if Russian playwright Anton Chekhov had a blog in the late 19th century, these are the kinds of stories he'd write.

Deb Flomberg's direction is keen and insightful, turning internal monologues outward, giving meaningful action to a cast of ten. Pearlman deserves special mention for carrying an enormous literary load and keeping it all straight, but he's backed by an excellent supporting cast, particularly Ann K. Flynn as Michael's wife, Patrick Mann as a homeless vet, Joseph Graves as an aggrieved father, and Meg Ralph as Michael's sister.

Below the Fold was presented by Equinox Theatre Company at the John Hand Theatre. For more information, e-mail equinoxtheatreco@yahoo.com or call 720-434-5245. Also, check out Deb Flomberg's Denver Theatre Examiner blog at www.examiner.com/x-474-Denver-Theater-Examiner, and Dave Flomberg's Below the Fold blog at www.belowthefold.us.