REVIEW: Wrecking Ball

Zina Camblin's brilliant script + Cincinnati acting royalty = One of the best things I've seen all season

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a writer’s room. As someone who’s craved collaboration, it seems like a dream job to sit in a room with other creatives, pitch ideas, and hammer out the best writing possible.

Zina Camblin has been in those rooms. They are a playwright (doing a playwrighting fellowship at Julliard) but attended SCPA in Cincinnati. 

As a television writer, they are familiar with the setting of her new play, WRECKING BALL - but this piece was not written by committee.

Instead, these words came directly and solely out of their head (or at least I assume almost all of them did. The writing process is complicated.) Camblin did have a few of the cast in mind as she wrote, which is a great device to bring a character to life. And with this dream cast, full of Cincinnati acting royalty, one would imagine the show would be great. In addition to the local actors, making her debut is an incredible and prolific star of stage, television, and film, Victoria Cartagena. (Seriously, Google her. What a resume!)

Cartagena is joined on stage by Dale Hodges, Sara Mackie, Burgess Byrd, Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Patrick Phillips, and Jeremy Dubin. And while this is an elite group, each of whom acts their faces off, they have the pleasure of speaking the words given to them by Camblin.

The plot is covertly simple; Dubin’s “Danny” is the showrunner on a new sitcom, which he is basing on the classic Lanford Wilson play, “The Hot L Baltimore.” Through this process, we see a diverse group of writers come together with different perspectives and personalities to modernize this story. But there’s a twist, which I will not spoil, that sends things veering off in a very different direction.

This play reminds me of last season’s “Trouble in Mind.” That’s a compliment, as that play addressed issues of bigotry - specifically racial prejudice - meaningfully. Camblin has done something masterful with her script in modernizing the subject matter of race but also sex, gender, and power - while being very funny.

That said, I cried at least twice during this production. It’s got some powerful moments, made even more palpable by the acting, especially from Mackie and Cartegna. And without Dubin’s solid anchor, the emotional gravitas would not have been as impactful. Benjamin, Phillips, and Hodges also get lovely moments. And the subtly of Byrd’s performance shows continued growth in this popular performer’s stage presence.

As expected at Cincy Shakes, the technical elements are above board. The costumes from Daryl Harris pop. Sarah Lambert’s set feels authentic, and the lighting design from Jessica Drayton draws focus where it needs to. Zack Bennett’s sound design accentuates the story, while Robert Carlton Stimmel’s overall technical supervision (and projections) help this production succeed.

The night I saw the show, the audience seemed to miss or not understand some of the more obscure Hollywood references; the pop culture is as hip as you’ll see in this show. But those plugged into the world of entertainment in 2023 will surely enjoy the rapid-fire jokes that build up to the thrilling climax that took my breath away.

I love new works, especially when they have something to say. And Zina Camblin says it with flair.

Go see WRECKING BALL at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company now through October 28th. Tickets and more information can be found here.