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Solo in a box
In the Summerhall near George Square, Ridiculusmus, one of major London theatres, and also an international touring troupe, gave three self-written plays; one was to my liking, a post-traumatic solo in a box titled "Give me Your Love." This tragicomedy is aptly characterized by "between Beckett and Monty Python".
This also fits with the solo one-act "box." by the American Dennis Elkins at Surgeons' Hall; he also wrote it himself. In it, Elkins processes his life in and out of boxes, which he has led as an actor since his son's drug death; the trained Shakespearean actor uses a large cardboard box as the only prop (like Ridiculusmus). The humorous melancholy with which Elkins plays his way in the box digs deep.
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BOX is one of those special theatrical treats that will have you laughing and crying all in just one lovely hour. Dennis Elkins with Flying Solo Production, explores the many times in our lives where boxes become an ever important extension of our being. Ashes in boxes, memorabilia in boxes, moving stuff in boxes, storing stuff in boxes. These are all presented with amazing physical dexterity and touching words and movement. This is a play that must be seen.
Noel Hefty
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An engaging and highly entertaining personal story of heart break, loss and rebuilding with humor and pathos.
Lori Steinberg
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The concept is fresh; the writing brilliant and insightful; and the performance thoroughly engaging.
Judith Reynolds
Arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association
The Durango Herald | Culture Gulch | Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018 5:43 PM
(Click to read the full article)
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A beautifully crafted piece about holding onto the things in life that we somehow need to let go of, but simply can't. Poignant, funny and equally moving.
Jedd Owen-Ellis Clark
Voice and Singing Teacher, Vocal Performance Coach, Associate Voice Tutor, Guildford School of Acting, Winchester University, Portsmouth University, Chichester University, Surrey University - United Kingdom
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The best theatre piece I’ve seen in a long time. Carefully crafted and imaginative, powerfully performed and deeply touching. You can’t help but feel your own story through Dennis’s...
Beth Gudenrath
Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework®
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.... Through a series of genius, slow strip-tease like revelations, Elkins releases us with gentle humor from what we fear most. Elkins is a sublime and delightful storyteller, writer and performer. To be in his hands for the night is to enjoy the fruits of a long-simmering experimentalist and show you his findings - Do not fear: the ride is worth it and it is nothing but good news.
Amy Chaffee
Freelance Dialect & Voice Coach, Los Angeles, CA
& Assistant Professor Tulane University
Department of Theatre and Dance - New Orleans, LA
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A profoundly moving and passionate performance, delivered with awe-inspiring skill. I laughed and cried in equal measure.
Cathryn Robson
Senior Lecturer University of Westminster, United Kingdom
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Dennis Elkins blows the roof of the expectations of a one-man show by giving a smart, hilarious and heartbreakingly humane performance with tender direction by Karla Knudsen. Box' presents the complexities of a life journey searching for a place to go and the notion that one never fully arrives.
Smart, fun writing. Lived in and touching
David Thigpen
Playwright at The Collective NY/ Hurricane Party
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I knew Dennis when some of these life-altering experiences took place. I laughed, cheered and cried. It was amazing to see him visit these heart-wrenching times with strength and acceptance. A captivating show by a truly talented artist.
Cathy Scott
Morristown, Tennessee
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box. is an autobiographical journey of cleaning house after parents/children die and we, those of us who are left, must choose what to keep and what to shred. The easy solution is to dump the stuff in a box and deal with it later—but, when “later” comes, we still agonize with the left-overs in a comical way.
This 70 minute one-man play, performed without intermission, demands ransoming our lives from the boxes tucked away under the bed, back of the closet, down in the basement and up in the attic. Giving voice to the sometimes prickly, yet pleasurable, process of packing and unpacking our prized possessions.
