• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Event Calendar
    • Submit Event
  • About Us
    • Our Contributors
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • On Screen Dayton
    • On Screen Dayton Reviews
    • Road Trippin’
      • Cincinnati
      • Columbus
      • Indianapolis
    • Spectator Sports
    • Street-Level Art
    • Visual Arts
  • Dayton Dining
    • DMM’s Brunch Guide
    • Restaurants with Private Dining Rooms
    • Dayton Food Trucks
    • Quest
    • Ten Questions
  • Dayton Music
    • Music Calendar
  • On Stage Dayton
    • On Stage Dayton Reviews
  • Active Living
    • Canoeing/Kayaking
    • Cycling
    • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Runners
  • How to Support Dayton Businesses, Nonprofits During COVID-19

Dayton Most Metro

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

‘Tape’ Review – Playground Theatre – Riveting Reunion

October 21, 2017 By Russell Florence, Jr.

Stephen Belber’s dark 1999 drama “Tape,” outstandingly produced by Playground Theatre at the Mathile Theatre, pulls no punches in its brutally honest examination of memory, betrayal, infatuation, deception, vindictiveness, jealousy, and sexual assault encompassing the lives of three high school friends. Seeking to uncover truths with jaw-dropping psychological gamesmanship, Belber creates a blistering portrait of humanity that’s messy, nasty and flawed. Through anger and pain, shock and shame, this fascinating character study, set inside a Michigan motel in real time thereby heightening its conversational allure and emotional stakes, reiterates how impossible it is to move forward if you haven’t made peace with the past.

(left to right) A.J. Breslin (Jon), Christopher Hahn (Vince) and Kelsie Slaugh (Amy) star in Playground Theatre’s production of “Tape.” (Photo by Knack Creative)

Directed with gripping tension by Playground co-founder Jenna Valyn, this intimate outing smoothly evolves from the casual small talk of its more humorous opening moments to a pulse-pounding climax of destructive volatility. Playground co-founder Christopher Hahn fills his astute portrayal of brutish Vince, a volunteer firefighter and dope dealer still searching for his true calling, with sharp sarcasm and passionate unpredictability. In addition to embracing Vince’s man-child essence to the hilt (notice how he makes flushing drugs down the toilet seem utterly devastating), he winningly conveys Vince’s faux nobility when attempting to be the hero of this tale. The dynamically expressive A.J. Breslin shines as Jon, a budding filmmaker whose decision to be “a little rough” one evening 10 years ago comes back to haunt him. Masterfully composed in his early scenes, Breslin eventually erupts with fierce ferocity during Vince and Jon’s pivotal argument involving a taped confession of rape. Due to his proficiency of duality, I absolutely believed the seemingly reserved Jon was capable of producing “violent tendencies” just as much as bad-boy Vince. The magnetic, quietly commanding Kelsie Slaugh delivers a breakthrough performance as the highly perceptive Amy, a local assistant district attorney and Vince’s bygone girlfriend who takes matters into her own professional hands as the horror of what happened (or didn’t happen) with Jon comes into focus. Cunningly and charmingly acknowledging Amy as the smartest and savviest adult in the room, Slaugh particularly mesmerizes in her cutthroat delivery of Amy’s incredibly stinging reprimand to Jon which internally beats him to a pulp. It is the defining moment of the play and rightfully so.


The Playground relishes in edgy, gritty plays addressing the harsh realities of life. “Tape,” bound to incite thought-provoking discussion, continues the organization’s impressive artistic track record while indicating a refreshing desire to broaden its base and brand as it opens its fourth season. Enter Room 32 if you dare.

 

“Tape” continues today at 2 and 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm inside the Mathile Theatre of the Schuster Center, Second and Main Streets, Dayton. The production is performed in 70 minutes without intermission. Tickets are $15-$20. For tickets, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit ticketcenterstage.com. For more information, visit theplaygroundtheatre.org. Patrons are advised the play contains adult language and situations. You can also follow Playground’s Spotify playlist at http://bit.ly/tape-soundtrack.

 

Filed Under: On Stage Dayton Reviews, The Featured Articles Tagged With: Playground Theatre, Tape

About Russell Florence, Jr.

Russell Florence, Jr. is a member of The American Theatre Critics Association and The Drama League. In addition to his role as arts and culture editor of Dayton City Paper and theater critic for Dayton City Paper and Impact Weekly, he served as a Dayton Daily News freelance writer and editorial page contributor. He has also written features for such theater publications as Spotlight Ohio and The Sondheim Review. Over the past 25 years, he has seen over 1,000 shows locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally encompassing New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Toronto, Madrid, and Rome among other destinations.


Comments

Comments

Primary Sidebar

Featured Events

  • Sun
    17
  • Mon
    18
  • Tue
    19
  • Wed
    20
  • Thu
    21
  • Fri
    22
  • Sat
    23

3rd Sundays

11:00 am | Front Street Complex

Girls Night In: Charcuterie Board Workshop

3:00 pm | ShaTerra Jenkins Beauty Studio

MLK Dialogues – The Power of Peace

4:00 pm | ZOOM

Virtual Screening: 9to5: The Story of a Movement

4:00 pm | Virtual Event

Wiley’s Sunday Comics

7:15 pm | Wiley’s Comedy Club

MLK JR Day Virtual Event

9:30 am | Virtual Event

25% off Pizza Monday

11:30 am | Oregon Express

Open Mic Monday

6:30 pm | The Barrel

The Road to Effective Estate Planning

7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Monday Night Acoustic MAYHEM

7:30 pm | Good Time Charlie’s

Leadership Dayton Class of 2022 Information Breakfast

8:30 am | Virtual Event

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Spaghetti Tuesday

5:00 pm | The Trolley Stop

Burger Night

5:00 pm | Watermark

Jazz with Gail and Larry

5:00 pm | Spirited Goat Coffee House

Tuesday Trivia

7:00 pm | The Dublin Pub

Jan Story Slam

7:00 pm | ZOOM

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Trivia w/ DagaTrivia

6:00 pm | Eudora Brewing Company

Wednesday Trivia

6:30 pm | Troll Pub at the Wheelhouse

Open Mic with Blues Breakdown Band

7:00 pm | Hank’s Local

Gem City Market Walking Warriors

7:00 pm | Gem City Market

Wednesday Night Trivia w/ Dan Profitt

7:00 pm | Oinkadoodlemoo & Brew

Marvel Cinematic Universe Trivia

7:00 pm | Toxic Brew Company

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Know Your Knots 101

6:00 pm | online

January Salon, Featuring Katie Clark Gabbard

6:00 pm | ZOOM

Jenna Drees Live Music in the Loft

7:00 pm | Moeller Brew Barn

Bingo

8:00 pm | Trolley Stop

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Tinned Gourmet Seafoods Tasting Event

5:00 pm | Salt Block Biscuit Company

Latin Dance Party

5:30 pm | The Salvation Army Kroc Center

Route 88

6:30 pm | Mr Boro’s Tavern

Clayton Anderson with Jacob William

7:00 pm | JD Legends Entertainment Complex

Music Bingo!

7:00 pm | Devil Wind Brewing

Derik Zoo

8:00 pm | Wiley’s Comedy Club

Cooking Class: Three Kings’ Day: A Puerto Rican Celebration

8:30 pm | DLM Culinary Center

RiverScape Virtual Winter Yoga

9:30 am |

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Ronald McDonald House Cooking Together

6:00 pm | your house

Dave’s & Confused

6:00 pm | The Phone Booth Lounge

DPAA presents Beethoven 8 and Florence Price

6:00 pm | Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center

Live Music With Generations Band

6:30 pm | Sojourners Brewstillery

Until Rust & Friends

6:30 pm | Courtyard Lounge

Derik Zoo

7:15 pm | Wiley’s Comedy Club

DPAA presents Beethoven 8 and Florence Price

8:30 pm | Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center

More Events…

DMM E-Newsletter


Give us your email address and we'll send you our DMM E-Newsletters
Email:  
For Email Marketing you can trust
Back to Top

Copyright © 2021 Dayton Most Metro · Terms & Conditions · Log in