By JANE GOODES

Throughline Theatre Company’s current production at Aftershock Theatre is Andre by William Dunlap. Considered to be the first American play, Andre is a recounting of the execution of British officer, Major John Andre. Andre was hanged in the late 1700s for his role in the treason of Benedict Arnold. The play is known for highly fictionalizing and romanticizing the events surrounding Andre’s hanging, but is still considered to be a classic American play that asks questions about loyalty, treason, and prisoners of war.

The play follows Officer Bland, who returns to an American camp to discover that his friend, Major John Andre, is to be hanged. Bland was once saved by the British major, and thus is very fond of him. It seems most of the Americans Andre came to know were fond of him as well, and are conflicted about his execution. Andre has accepted his fate, and only asks that he receive a death befitting a major (death by firing squad), versus such a hanging. Bland refuses to accept the sentence so he, along with a few other Americans, plead to General Washington to stop the execution. So it begs the question, is an individual’s life worth more than the safety of the nation?

Throughline should be commended for taking on such a difficult feat. The play is written in 18^th century verse, so the material can be quite dense at times. It can often be difficult to engage audience members with this kind of material, but I feel they were able to in this case. The actors did well in establishing their relationships with one another, which made you feel for their characters and the story. Arjun Kumar, who played Bland, was convincing in his character’s desperation to find a way to save Andre’s life. You can see he carries an enormous guilt with him that his friend should die while he lives, and there is little he can do about it. You truly feel for Harry J Hawkins, who plays the title character of Andre. Hawkins is very likable in his portrayal, and you root for his character to make it out alive (even though you know what’s going to happen). Another standout was Brett Sullivan Santry, who played M’Donald. He plays his character well; he is able to be intimidating and humorous at the same time. He has a very commanding presence on stage, and was truly one of the highlights of the show.

I loved the venue for this production; it has heart and a lot of character. Aftershock Theatre is housed in what used to be the Slovenian Auditorium in Lawrenceville. They are still renovating the space, but I like what they have done with it so far. The theater itself is very open with lots of wood and brick architecture. It has a relaxed vibe to it, with couches, pillows, and string lights all around the space. It felt welcoming and had a home-y vibe to it. The space worked well for this production because it helps put you in the past.

The set is minimalistic, but works considering the play is more about the characters and their relationships. One of the only real set pieces are a few planks of wood that cast members carry out and place on stage. These work to set up the barrier of the American camp, and then are cleverly turned into something else halfway through the show (but I won’t spoil that here). The director, Shannon Knapp, definitely makes use of the space given. The actors are not restricted to just the stage. They use the whole theater as their performance space, which I think keeps the audience engaged in the story. Another interesting element to this show is the use of a drum. They use it to signify the changing of scenes, and is also used in the final scene in a dramatic way.