Switch Back

Randy Rutherford Presents Maryclare McCauley—Dragon Arts Collective

Switch Back is a carefully woven, cautionary tale, pulled from the real life of Maryclare McCauley. We can surmise quite early on, that there can only be two outcomes for the plot, each having a 50/50 chance, but McCauley keeps the audience guessing until the very end.

With only a single chair to evoke various locations, a solo McCauley uses her considerable vocal talent and body language to introduce us to the characters of the piece. Especially mobile is her face. As any really good storyteller must, she has chosen her words carefully. The show is 75 minutes long, but non of it is extraneous. The depiction of violence goes only so far. It is what we think can happen, in combination with the storytelling, that heightens the tension of the plot.

This show deserves more attention than it has been getting, and is well worth the three flights of stairs.

Michelle Cook