A timely and dark reflection on a school shooting, 47 Reasons to Live, written by local playwright Peter Nason, gets under your skin and stays there long after the show ends. While Chris Holcom, Jessica Medley Walters, Pete Clapsis, Jaime Giangrande-Holcom and Dennis Duggan are a stellar ensemble, it is Caleb Brening as James who makes you hold your breath without even realizing you are doing it.
James is a troubled student whose monologues transform the handsome boy-next-door into a psychopath who romanticizes serial killers and has disdain for anything that doesn’t fit into his warped vision of the world. Exceptionally cast, he could easily be mistaken for a romantic lead… until he opens his mouth and calmly, personifying evil, proudly discusses the murders of his teachers and peers. “Except Mr. Z. You gotta leave a witness.”
Before the rampage, his teachers try to determine what to do with such an intelligent, talented, yet troubled student who doesn’t qualify for a 504. Nason's play poses the question: What now?
47 Reasons to Live premiered at the Tampa International Fringe Festival on Thursday, May 11 and was performed again on Friday and Saturday. For further information on the Fringe, go to tampafringe.org.
