Expecting To Fly
Based around the concept of the painful difficulties of one person attempting to deal with the horrific loss of a loved one, Expecting to Fly is a gay themes production that for once is not politically or ethically focused on the homosexual lifestyle. This sorrow filled production is one that most people who have lost a loved one will easily be able to identify with, and is wonderfully acted to boot. The set is complex, the theatre intimate, the script compelling, and the performance award worthy. This production written by Michael Hyman and directed by Kiff Scholl, is in the middle of its run at the Elephant Theatre in Los Angeles, and is one that will likely find a second home to extend its run due to the power of the life message that it carries.
When we lose someone we love dearly, with or without counseling, there is a long process of saying goodbye and learning how to move on without that person. There are times that the agony of the loss can be so overwhelming that we are incapable of taking the next step in our own healing process. Many who have endured this type of loss simply refuse to deal with it, and instead hide their heart and their emotions in other actions that for at least a time take the sting of the loss away. For some, as with Jared, beautifully played by Justin Mortelliti, it is simply easier to bury their feelings in drugs and alcohol or sexual encounters that for a brief time take away the sting. But, as with all persons who attempt this type of denial, the haunting truth of the facts refuse to leave us alone, and we are mandated by our own consciousness to deal with these heart aches if only in our dreams. The power of reality that is brought to light on stage with this type of loss is a spectacle of superior writing with a magnanimous strength that deserves the recognition of the Ovation Awards committee, and should be encountered by as many audience members as is possibly conceivable.
The productions co-star Sean, played well by Casey Kringlen, is far more homosexually typical than his counterpart. As this is a gay themed production, this is acceptable to the audience, though the entirety of the program could just as easily be played by a man and a woman in a heterosexual relationship and still carries the same massive impact. For this reason, the fact that the characters are gay seems to be a secondary factor to the purpose of the production. The pain of loss is the main focus of the production, and the set, props, and emotionally dialogue are what carry the show from start to finish. The audience members have absolutely no difficulty in placing themselves in Jared’s position as they endeavor to find a way to move on with life after such a painful and horrific loss.
Expecting to Fly is a difficult production to encounter, but one that should be experienced none the less. Far too many people in this world go through painful loss and heart ache on their own, and if we as human beings could only learn to understand and identify with the pain that they are encountering, we might be able to assist them with the path to healing that they so desperately need. Life and living are difficult to start with; death and dying are even more difficult to understand. The process of healing is one that we will all at some point be required to undertake, and whether the loss is of a friend, family member, child, loved one, or a spouse, we will be haunted with the same questions this script asks, what, if anything, could I or should I have done differently.
Enjoy!
Randall Gray