July 08, 2017

Many of the performers inhabited multiple roles, shifting seamlessly between portraying dispassionate lawyers in courtroom scenes and family members in flashbacks. This reminded me to put myself into the shoes of others, to consider what factors may have led to the behaviors we see.

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In the end, how you judge Richard Buttle will be equally influenced by the extenuating factors in your own life. Grey will stir your emotions and invite you to reconsider the infinite shades that exist between black and white.

July 09, 2017

After the lights came back up at the end of Grey, I needed a moment to recover from the emotional wallop that this show packs.  As someone who loves moral ambiguity and stories about flawed characters, this is exactly my kind of play, and it absolutely blew me away. Shifting between the present day parole hearing for Richard Buttle (Kenton Blythe), who was convicted of murdering Jayden Alexander (Kion Flatts) at a house party twelve years ago, and the circumstances and decisions that led to the crime, Grey is a fast-paced drama that challenges our preconceptions.

July 08, 2017

True crime hits the stage in this provocative exploration of the space between right and wrong.

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Twelve years after his teenage son was murdered at a house party, a man must confront the killer at his parole hearing. Chantal Forde's Grey skips around in time, slowly unravelling the circumstances of the event in bits and pieces that, like so many popular podcasts, add shade to what at first seems like a black-and-white crime.

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The play tries to cover a ton of material in a lean 60 minutes, using its five actors and two props – a football and a scarf – to span decades and open questions of personal responsibility, upbringing, disability and racism. Under directors Forde and Mandy Roveda, the show slides smoothly through a complicated structure with deft blocking and lighting.