(OUTscene NW) RE-view: Seattle Rep's A Great Wilderness, a New Play about Aging and Ex-Gays, feels like a 'Work in Progress'!

Winters and Taylor               /Alabastro Photography.

by MK Scott

This past weekend, Seattle Rep, held the World Premiere of  Samuel D. Hunter’s new drama, “A Great Wilderness.” The Play focuses on a Christian Man that is dealing with Old Age as he helps teenage boys root them out of the sin of Homosexuality.

It hasn’t worked for the unfulfilled counselor Walt (Michael Winters) and he soon realizes he is losing the battle. After 30 summers of welcoming gay teens, Walt's last summer before entering the old folks home, garners only one teen, the suspicious, Daniel (Jack Taylor).

As he prepares to retire to what sounds like a dismal assisted-living facility, Walt expects the hypercritical Abby (The sensational, Christine Estabrook) and her current husband Tim (R. Hamilton Wright) to keep his ministry going.

But Abby wants to sell the property because they know the time and effort is a losing battle.

Wright, Winter Estabrook, Krich, Nelson   /Alabastro Photography.

But when Daniel goes missing in the woods, and a forest fire (with great special effects) lessens his prospects for survival, Walt is engulfed with self doubts about his mission and other life choices. His ambivalence is mirrored, sideways, in Daniel’s mother (excellent Mari Nelson) who wonders, with shocking but tender frankness, if her child might be better off dead.

We also learn of Walt's past and how the rejection of his boyhood crush, sent him to the point that it was not meant to be. We also learn of his Deceased Gay Son, Issac and blames the lifestyle on his death.

As night wears on, the only grounded, unconflicted adult on hand is Janet (the sassy Gretchen Krich), a jocular forest ranger whose final, offhand compliment to Walt is unintentionally devastating.

Towards the end, the performances of Winter and EstaBrook and even Taylor are filled with raw emotion.

So, just when the real truth starts to come out, the Play ends abruptly with 'When I was your age I could have been anything......" then fade to black.

Perhaps this is a work in progress or sequel is coming? Overall, it is great to see a play focus on the decline of the ex-gay movement as well as old age. (Actually it was more centered on the old age aspect of it and not enough on the Ex-gay movement).

Seattle Rep's A Great Wilderness continues through February 16th. Click Here for Tix.