by Adam Rapp
Azeotrope/ACT Theatre, Seattle, WA

Scenic: Catherine Cornell | Costume: Christine Tschirgi | Lighting: Andrew D. Smith | Sound: Evan Mosher | Properties: Paul Cliffton Barrois

PRESS

“Chiang’s actors truly live on stage. There are stretches of quiet where the characters exist in their space, putting things away, looking for an item, applying deodorant. The audience watches the fish bowl and, inexplicably, it’s riveting.”
— Jasmine Joshua, Seattle Theatre Examiner

“Chiang’s direction keeps the tension tight in a small, breathless space. She also cleverly manages the required very explicit sex with full nudity of two characters. It’s handled sensitively and effectively without unduly confronting the audience.”
— Miryam Gordon, Seattle Gay News

“In Azeotrope’s second staging of this piece, with the same fine cast as its 2010 debut production, Desdemona Chiang again directs this maelstrom-in-miniature with near-balletic grace. She lets Rapp’s characters stalk one another in concentric circles until there’s no place left for refuge. None of the nude scenes feels gratuitous; they only compound the characters’ vulnerabilities and missed opportunities to make amends.”
— Kevin Phinney, Seattle Weekly

“Seattle theatre company Azeotrope selected Red Light Winter, among the best of Rapp’s many plays and a 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist, as its inaugural production in 2010. This fall, the company has revived the piece, and produced it in repertory with Joshua Hollins’ 25 Saints… As directed by Desdemona Chiang, the play dives head first into a seedy world—into love and lust and sex and pain and despair (and, full disclosure, full nudity)… Azeotrope’s dedication to producing gritty, grating work with care is evident, and I look forward to watching the company continue to push audiences to a point of powerful discomfort.”
— Gemma Wilson, City Arts

“Bad, or even mediocre productions tend to fade rapidly from the memory. The memory of a really outstanding show, however, tends to get even better over time. Azeotrope’s current revival of Adam Rapp’s Red Light Winter was even better than my recollection of their outstanding 2010 production and the original cast, reprising their roles, simply couldn’t be better… As is usually the case, Desdemona Chiang exercises perfect control over these actors and allows each to pursue and reveal truths about themselves that resonate with us.”
— Jerry Kraft, seattleactor.com