In just 25 minutes, Ruben Carbajal’s “Hold†is able to make you laugh and think about your life.
It’s ultimately quite an endeavor, considering there’s only one actor on stage and no scenery in the production.
A dark comedy that has a man [James Lentini] on the phone with a suicide prevention hotline that ultimately morphs into a closer dissection of his life, “Hold†is entertaining from start to finish. It’s almost sad when it comes to an end, considering Lentini’s solid performance.
Through his facial expressions alone, Lentini is able to convey a wide array of emotions and thanks to a tightly written script, his harrowing delivery and ability to use the space around him, the production is something special.
An everyman who has become the victim of a divorce and financial troubles, his character is someone many men can find a bit of themselves in. There’s nothing particularly wrong with him; in the end, there’s something more wrong with the people around him.
Excellent voice acting reinforces this, as the supporting cast, consisting of Gina Trebiani, Sarah Bonner, Hank Offinger, Krista Griffin, Hank H. Kim, Selene C. Hawks and Laurel Johnston get the job done. Even though their parts are all relatively short, they all add something to the play’s formula, whether it be drama or comedy. Through this, “Hold†is short play that gets its message across.
The world is sometimes a sad and terrible place. Sometimes you just want to fly away from it all.
While Lentini’s character doesn’t have the strength to fight against the dying of his own life’s light, you may look at your life a bit differently after this performance.
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