Holey Smokes.

Holey Smokes follows a small town's fixation on an unusual, seemingly bottomless hole that appears in one family's yard. While it is never explained what the hole is or where it came from, the implication as the play progresses is that it is there to provide something other than the answers that so many of the people hope it can give, something darker.

Each of the characters has their own idea about what the hole is and what it does, with some acting as narrators and others acting out scenes directly. Overall, the actors play their roles well, especially with all the back and forth among the actors who play multiple roles, though some came off more melodramatic than others. This was amplified by the fact that many of the actors really projected their voices. Because of the size of the Dairy Carsen Theater and the natural acoustics, such volume was a little excessive.

The performance was very minimalist, with few props and limited costume changes, even for characters played by the same actor, making it difficult at times to figure out which character was in the scene. To make it more difficult were the abrupt transitions from one scene to the next. In spite of this, Holey Smokes as a whole is an interesting, if morbid, perspective on desperation in difficult times.

-- Jessica Lave