Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Jessica Manuel’s self-written and performed one-woman comedy, THE ANTARCTIC CHRONICLES, presented as part of The New York International Fringe Festival, vividly diaries her experiences on a year long career jump from Minnesota to a U.S. science base in the South Pole. With visual aides via projection and simple props, Jessica engages the audience in a physical reenactment of her daily routine, relationships, and self-discovery in one of the coldest regions of the world; where summers are marked by new “fingi” arrivals and fresh produce, while winters are isolated with eternal darkness and memory loss. The coldest, driest desert on earth, and vibrant and youthful Jessica, who chose to work there, conveys the adventurous atmosphere that she finds herself transplanted into.

On this sweltering hot, dog-day of August, it was a relief to feel the chill of the air-conditioned Player’s Loft. The audience meanders into a dark theatre, the haunting sounds of arctic winds and the softly cascading snow on the rear wall of the stage melt away the wears of the day. The room has a tranquil and yet, dangerous air as we settle into our cool seats. Then all of a sudden, bright lights illuminate a wildly dancing Jessica, grooving to the lively music. She quickly escorts us through her early years in Minnesota, through College, and her first relentlessly boring cubicle job. All of this mundane personal background history leads us into her decision to go to a job fair in Denver for Raytheon, where she discovered the enticement of a position in Antarctica.

Finally arriving, with much excitement and enthusiasm, at her new job at McMurdo Station, Jessica unveils her hopes, fears, and disappointments with the reality of Antarctica. Throughout the 60minutes, Jessica reveals how, even in an exotic place, like the South Pole, although the physical challenges may be extreme, life is routinely banal and “middle-of-the-road,” much like her home in Minnesota.

This high-energy, episodic journey to Antarctica invigorates the adventurer within. Jessica’s quirky physical humor and animated facial expressions make light of the otherwise dismal routine of the support staff on a U.S. science base in the coldest desert on earth. The use of atmospheric sounds and music to complement the scenes seamlessly infiltrates into Jessica’s comedy. Jessica adeptly transforms physically and vocally, from neighborly Minnesota accents to a burley Alaskan sled-dog running Dan, and many others, in her epic chronicles. The strength of THE ANTARCTIC CHRONICLES is in Jessica Manuel’s charming comedic ability to recreate the awkwardness of the circumstances she finds herself in.

The taught direction of Paul Linke, with excellent use of space and levels; Louis Sciarrotta’s atmospheric sound design; and the icy scenic design by Mike Gaglio create a simple, yet unified look to the world of the play. Jessica Manuel controls the stage with such command and dexterity, that you can’t help but be invested in THE ANTARCTIC CHRONICLES.