“And Every Creeping Thing” Asks All the Right Questions About Existence While Validating Its Own
The curtain (or rather livestream) rises on a corporate office as two employees trapped in middle management lament their manager’s lack of interest in their creative ideas for an upcoming project. The project in question? The creation of the universe. This is the setup for the Hold Space Theatre Collective’s latest endeavor, playwright Eric Craft’s “And Every Creeping Thing”.
“And Every Creeping Thing” follows Entiel (Margot Gardow) and his friend Arachne (Faith Dowgin) as they navigate multiple levels of divine bureaucracy in order to get Entiel’s project proposal, insects, into creation to fill in the gaping holes in the ever complicating foodchain before their looming deadline. In pursuit of this goal Entiel must learn to accommodate, collaborate and thrive under the managerial styles of Terial (Hawkins Gadow) the angel charged with the creation of creatures on the ground, Empyrean (Antoinette Fasino) the angel charged with the creation of creatures in the sky, Marina (Rebecca Gross) the angel charged with the creation of creatures in the sea all of which are overseen by the shape-shifting Ariel (Joshua Coslar).
Impressively Eric Craft’s writing manages to communicate this piece’s complex lore quickly and clearly, giving his audience all the necessary information they need to navigate the story without bogging the play down with any excess exposition. Craft’s choice to set the creation story in an environment as mundane as a corporate office leaves plenty of room for comedic potential which Craft takes full advantage of. “And Every Creeping Thing” is funny and incredibly endearing.
The success of this piece comes from the writing as well as the strength of its cast. Margot Gardow gives a charming take on the quirky Entiel communicating the frustration every creative type has felt when surrounded by those that just don’t “understand” what their work is attempting to convey. This is tempered by Faith Dowgin who plays Arachne with an erratic energy necessary to convey the sincere goodwill her character possesses as well as the simmering agitation beneath her friendly persona. Hawkin Gadow performs the beleaguered mammal obsessed Teriel very well, portraying the archetypal least favorite manager we all have had at some point in our lives without ever coming across as wholly unlikeable. A standout is Antoinette Fasino’s compelling and dynamic performance as Empyrean, the eccentric and literally flighty angel who nurtures Entiel’s artistic spirit and helps them realize their artistic vision. These performances are strung together with Katherine Cusack’s direction which no doubt greatly contributes to the tonal consistency of these performances as well as the tonal consistency of the overall piece.
The quality of zoom performances solely from an aesthetic perspective greatly varies from show to show. This piece however does manage to still have a scenic design and sound elements when necessary. These elements are successful in communicating the environment and world of the piece incredibly well. There are some mixing elements here and there that could be tweaked but when working with limitations such as a global pandemic, the general constraints of Zoom as a platform, and five actors all in different locations with varying technical capabilities what can you do? However given the scope of this piece and the design elements necessary to put it on its feet, I am anxious to see what this piece would look like life, and I hope to see this piece in its final evolution.
“And Every Creeping Thing” is not without its faults. There are some plot points that are not entirely necessary to the overall story. In the piece’s pursuit to tie together any loose ends, some of the conflicts feel as if they wrap up a little too conveniently and this piece could definitely benefit from one more rewrite.
But as is “Every Creeping Thing” is charming, irreverent, and full of heart, exploring complex elements of human existence through an accessible lens. Its protagonist’s fascination with insects speaks to the theme of the importance of every creature’s significance no matter how seemingly insignificant. In the midst of a never-ending global pandemic that has rendered many an industry but particularly the entertainment industry nearly uninhabitable “And Every Creeping Thing” for the briefest of moments put into perspective the importance of creating regardless of the necessity, without an audience in mind, just because you have to.
I sincerely hope “And Every Creeping Thing” continues to evolve and develop and when we can enter theatres safely again this piece finds its home onstage because I will be sure to be there on opening night.
“And Every Creeping Thing” is available on Hold Space Theatre Collective’s Youtube Channel feel free to check it out and form your own opinion.