Review: The Night Alive

Big Idea Theatre, now celebrating its 10th season, is known for tackling dark subject matters, many times portraying poor, lost souls swimming, and often times sinking, in the murky sea of self-survival.

Some of the company’s plays can be dark, disturbing, with overt violence—and aren’t necessarily meant to have a general appeal. Big Idea’s season opener The Night Alive, by playwright Conor McPherson, falls in this category, a strangely sweet and savage story of Tommy (Scott Divine), a Dublin street hustler who tries to find his way through each day with his simple-minded-yet-deeply-philosophical pal Doc (Bert Andersson), and his reluctant landlord uncle (Don Hayden).

Upending Tommy’s already-in-upheaval universe is Aimee (Amber Lucito), a scrappy prostitute whom Tommy rescues from her violent boyfriend (Ryan Snyder).

There are some quirky, yet sweet moments, especially between Tommy and Doc— brought to life by the strong performances by Divine and Andersson. Lucito also breathes some heart-tugging moments into her character.

Though overall The Night Alive makes for compelling theater, the storyline has some frustrating ambiguities, and in this production the over-the-top physical violence feels gratuitous—a little toning down would make the moments even more evil and menacing.