'Laramie Project' finds candor amid chaos of hate crime

“The Laramie Project” is theater at its best, capturing a true moment in time, analyzing it from all angles and letting audience members react on a visceral level.

Theatre Cedar Rapids' production at TCR Lindale allows the words and characters to make their most powerful statements by presenting them simply. Videos, news clips, re-enactments and photographs enhance and propel the story.

And by the end of Sunday's matinee, many in the audience of about 250 had been moved to tears.

This is the final show to be staged at TCR Lindale, 4444 First Ave. NE, before Theatre Cedar Rapids moves back to its renovated home in the flood-damaged Iowa Theatre Building, 102 Third St. SE.

It is most fitting to end on such a high note with a piece perfectly suited to the interim facility. The troupe has successfully staged large-scale musicals there, but it's really ideal for a “black box” type of show where the experience is enhanced by using minimal theatrical trappings. A black, multilevel stage gave plenty of options for creating the many settings in the show, and sheer drapery in front of the video screens added to the gauzy, surreal tone.

The play emerged from 200 interviews with townspeople and officials in and around Laramie, Wyo., after gay college student Matthew Shepard, 21, was brutally beaten, robbed and left tied to a fence to die in October 1998. The murder was characterized as a hate crime and drew international attention, all of which left a deep impact on the community.

Brian Smith served as the narrator for the show, while the other eight cast members deftly slipped in and out of multiple characters. This is truly an ensemble event, where each actor is pivotal and no one is the “star.”

Smith's solemn, resonant voice announced the characters as they stepped into the spotlight, helping the audience keep track of whose voice we were hearing. The actors were extremely adept at changing voice, stance and mannerisms in a snap, and several key characters appeared throughout the two-hour production, allowing us to build up an affection for them.

David Morton deserves a special nod for creating the vivid, colorful town “characters” that were sometimes funny, but mostly poignant and insightful in their views.

It was rather like watching a documentary, stringing together interviews to tell a story. The opinions expressed rang of honesty and candor, as some decried homosexuality but also shuddered at the thought of such a heinous crime.

The murder was described in graphic detail and the trial scenes were heartbreaking. Even with guilty verdicts rendered, no one wins in such a situation.

Director Jason Alberty, scenic designer Bret Gothe and everyone involved in this production have staged a brave and important work.

“The Laramie Project” continues Thursday through Sunday. For details, call (319) 366-8591 or go to www.theatrecr.org