The Monument

It's sad to see a decent play brought down by its actors. The Monument has some nice things to say about war, from heavy handed parallels to subtle battles of wills, and even better observations to make about characters trying to cope with their circumstances. The staging here, by Clockwork Theater, is also pretty cool: I enjoyed the solemn excavation of corpses from a dirt-covered stage. But two-handers, like solo shows, rely far more on individual personalities than ensemble shows (in which caricatures are more passable). The two here, Jay Rohloff and Ramona Floyd, each have a few moments of elegance, but the rest of their acting eats the stage's dust (literally).

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