Gamm’s ‘Grounded’ is absorbing theatre

Posted 9/11/14

American playwright George Brandt has written an absorbing, emotion-packed, one-woman play that will keep you glued to the stage for 80 minutes.

Brandt’s play, “Grounded,” has been seen …

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Gamm’s ‘Grounded’ is absorbing theatre

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American playwright George Brandt has written an absorbing, emotion-packed, one-woman play that will keep you glued to the stage for 80 minutes.

Brandt’s play, “Grounded,” has been seen around the world, receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences. He has been to every opening, including the New England premiere at Gamm last Sunday afternoon.

The script gives the actor and director freedom to stage the play as they see best, and every production has been unique.

Director Judith Swift has chosen a stuffed chair in front of a movie screen on an otherwise bare stage. Artistic director Tony Estrella has chosen Brown University graduate and Boston-area actress Liz Hayes to play The Pilot, dressed in jump suit and boots.

The gung-ho fighter pilot has been grounded after becoming pregnant, and reassigned to fly remote-controlled drones over Afghanistan from a windowless, air-conditioned trailer in the desert outside of Las Vegas.

The assignment was difficult to accept, but it gave her the opportunity to put in her 12 hours and return home to her husband and daughter.

“I’m flying a ‘chair force’ drone,” she said. It is actually a $12 million Reaper.

All is pretty routine and boring at first, until she becomes obsessed with tracking down a key terrorist. We see her target on the screen behind her, following her as she blows up real people from thousands of miles away with the simple push of a button, coming home every night to a loving husband and daughter.

Hayes is terrific as the pilot, wearing her emotions on her jumpsuit sleeve and eventually questioning what she is doing. There is a tough, emotional conclusion as she must make a crucial decision and face the consequences.

“Grounded” raises many questions about modern warfare, fought with an “eye in the sky” similar to methods used at shopping malls and on city streets.

Afghanistan is almost a parallel universe to the desert of Nevada.

Hayes captures all the ups and downs of a conflicted person dealing with the ethics of her job and how it affects her personally. This is one intense, thought-provoking evening of theatre.

“Grounded” is at the Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St. in Pawtucket, through Sept. 28. Call 723-4266 for reservations. Tickets are $41 and $49.

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