The Search for a Friend Turns Complicated
By Doug Iden
In a third straight regional premier, A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) illuminates the Falcon Theatre stage. This regional premiere by Lulu Raczka is directed by Samantha Joy Weil and is quite an effective, thought provoking play.
Post-Apocalyptical Plot
In a near future, post-apocalyptic society, Bell (Kaitlin McCulloch) operates a Bar in a deserted space. Exuding a sense of false bravado, Bell prepares for patrons that will not be coming. Suddenly, the door opens and Steph (a 16-year-old girl dressed in a Parochial school uniform) enters the Bar. Steph (Ella Prather) is looking for her friend Charlie and her mother Tracy whom she thought had visited the Bar earlier. Bell denies having seen her (or anybody else) recently and orders Steph to leave. Steph repeats her entreaties several more times while Bell continues her denials and suggests that the teenager see the police. Alone, Bell suffers an anxiety attack. We discover that the world suffers from constant rolling blackouts, during which many people (mostly women) die of assumed accidents or other misfortunes. Everybody (including Bell and Steph) fear for their lives and are afraid to be outside.
Steph returns after an interview with an uncaring police force. Bell tries to have Steph recreate the police encounter with limited success. Suddenly, a blackout occurs and Bell enacts a fantasy about possible killers while Steph starts counting in a “state prescribed” mantra.
The remainder of the story is engulfed in twists and turns, revelations, deceptions, denials and a possible reconciliation.
The Story Unpeels Like an Onion
Different themes collide as the story unfolds like peeling an onion. Survival and resulting isolation in a frightening society is paramount. In a dystopia, what is real and what is illusion? Frequent mysterious disappearances of women echo a contemporary problem. Are the women reliable narrators and are they hiding or suppressing truths? What is friendship and can the women learn to trust each other and work together.
Superb Performances
Both McCulloch (Bell) and Prather (Steph) create indelible characters as they evolve from total strangers to possible distrustful allies. McCulloch starts with an indifferent, sarcastic insouciance which masks the internal terror she feels for the “outside” world. In her initial confrontations with Steph, she acts peeved and dismissive but then takes charge while enacting the “play within a play” fantasy. Prather initially portrays Steph as a petulant, self-absorbed teen on a mission but quickly devolves into a troubled creature enveloped in fantasy and despair. Both women travel a believable character arc which, eventually, changes themselves and their joint relationship. There are external outbursts but much of the acting is internal, especially in the second act. Both actresses are superb.
Production Team
Samantha Joy Weil masterfully directs the play, maintaining the mystery/fantasy while, gradually, unveiling the hidden emotions. The set, designed by Ted Weil, shows a bar with tables, chairs and a sofa. Behind the bar are various, probably empty bottles. Flashlights, reminiscent of lanterns are used during the blackouts. Symbolically, the lanterns glow red like a bleeding heart. Many of the scenes are short using blackouts designed by Chad Brinkman. Samantha Weil creates the school uniform and Bell’s somewhat provocative bar attire.
Overall, An Effective and Interesting Production
For the third straight production, Falcon Theatre has offered extremely effective, very thought-provoking performances. This play, along with the others, will stay with you for a long time. As a mystery fan, I particularly enjoyed this show because of the nuance and the gradual revelations.
So, closet your fears, grab your flashlight and run to Falcon Theatre to watch A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) running through February 7, 2026. Purchase tickets at: https://falcontheater.net/tickets/
