Review: New Play, 'The Strange Attractor,' Raises the Question We All Struggle With

There’s a one-word question that follows most of us whether we’re age two or 52. “Why?”

If we could just know “Why” then somehow we would have some semblance of peace and be able to move on, or so we think.

The characters in Act3 Production’s newest play “The Strange Attractor,” try to come to terms with "Why" – in their own way - years after a tragedy has bonded them together forever.

“The Strange Attractor” is running at the Sandy Springs playhouse through Saturday.

Playwright Jesse Cramer’s work was born out of improvisation. In the story, two couples reconnect years after the tragedy sent them their separate ways.

Characters Elaine and Wade Stewart are more than 10 years older than Eli and Calliope McDermott. As the story unfolds, we see how over the years each person has masked their true feelings to cope with the loss - Elaine controls, Wade disconnects, Eli is disingenuous and Calliope, self-deprecating. Eventually, each one erupts or breaks down and we see the path to their pain.

Cramer writes in the program, ”At the core of “The Strange Attractor” is the uneasy obsession with control, how we wield it over each other and wrestle with God for it over ourselves.”

Act3 sets the stage in the round with the actors within reach of the audience, creating intense moments.

Surprisingly, the powerful actors have other day jobs. Nancy Young, who plays Elaine Stewart, is a flight attendant. The alumna from Florida State University’s School of Theatre has appeared in productions of “Bus Stop,” “Twelfth Night,” and “Line.”

Stuart W. Schleuse plays Wade Stewart. He’s a speech pathologist at Emory University Hospital and has been in numerous productions including shows with OnStage Atlanta, Actor’s Express, The Academy Theater, and Theater Arts Guild.

Selena Anduze, who plays Calliope McDermott, is a teacher of health wellness in massage therapy. As an actress, she’s appeared in “South Pacific, “Once Upon a Mattress, “The Arabian Nights” and other productions.

Michael Filsky has been in several productions around metro Atlanta. Before landing the role of Eli McDermott in “The Strange Attractor,” he performed in “The Exonerated” at Alliance Black Box theatre and Clark Atlanta University; “Something Awful, Something Beautiful” at Lionheart and Academy Theatre, and “The Glass Menagerie” at Next Stage Theatre.