Noah Heinrich ’12 comes to us with this flash review of Icarus and Aria, which you can see again tonight or tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. in the Bolton Theater.
As an on-and-off reviewer for the Collegian, I prided myself on being “the mean one.” I made refusing to pull my punches a trademark, and sought to point out any problem that I thought truly made a negative impact on my viewing experience. I write all this so that when I say that I could not find any real flaw with KCDC’s newest offering, Icarus and Aria, I want you to realize just how serious I am being. Icarus and Aria is unlike any KCDC show I’ve seen at the Bolton.
Written by Kirk Wood Bromley, this play is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The action is moved from Verona to Phoenix, Ariz., and the star-crossed lovers are now a football player from the barrio and the franchise owner’s daughter, but it’s still Shakespearean. Written in bilingual iambic pentameter, the script simply leaks cool.
Drama Professor Kevin Rich tackled Icarus and Aria with perfect casting, an arresting set and great lighting courtesy of Angela Coleman ’12. The most intriguing piece of staging was a set of Kinetic Light Drums. Where this production truly shines, however, is the acting.
The title characters, portrayed with great energy by Hector Marerro ’15 and Faith Servant ’13, were the heart and soul of the show. These two had incredibly authentic chemistry, filling every scene with unrestrained passion. Aria’s father was played by Joe Lerangis ’12, equal parts affable good ol’ boy and volatile mogul. Icarus’s gangster brother Primalo was played with terrifying menace by Miguel Alvarez-Flatow ’14.
Put simply, this show is manipulative. Icarus and Aria will make your heart ache and then rip it out in the finest of tragedic tradition. You will laugh and you will cry. See this play. Go for breakout performances from Servant and Marerro, go for the perfectly delivered dialogue and flashy staging, go to see what happens when someone gives Charles Lasky ’12 a rifle. But most importantly, go for a truly exceptional production of what is now one of my favorite plays.
The Kenyon Thrill 
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It is a breathtaking ensemble production; every word from every performer crystal clear (and that is not easy to achieve in Bolton) Pay attention to what the performers do with their bodies; they listen, they react, they engage. It’s Shakespeare, it is West Side Story, it is what BRAVO is all about. Loud applause and heartfelt thanks!.