On September 7, 2013, I went to see the coproduction of The Flowertown Players
and South of Broadway Theatre Company’s production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s “No Exit” at the James Dean Theatre in Summerville, SC.  The play was set in hell and not the hell that we think of when someone mentions the place but rather a small room with three small fabric benches, no windows, artwork, and dully painted walls. With a cast of only three, each narrated their own story of how they ended up in this place they called hell and why each believed they ended up there.  Most of the story was bland; lacking humor and any sort of thought-provoking dialogue.  The play ends with all three characters laughing as they realize that they are already dead, cannot kill one another, and they are stuck in the place called hell forever with no way of escaping.

This theater seats approximately two hundred people and roughly, twenty people were in
audience that evening.  After seeing the play, I do not believe that many people knew of this play other than season ticket holders and few fans of the theater.  Summerville is a family oriented city with lots of young families and I feel that this play did not appeal to the demographics of the area as there was a feeling of disconnect between the play and the audience.  The play may have done better in an area like Charleston where there is more of an interest in the art of theatre and an appreciation for less popular plays versus an area like Summerville where people just want to get out for the night or participate in an activity that is more family friendly.

I would not recommend this play to others.  While it was interesting to see, what Flowertown Player’s is producing versus other theaters in Charleston the twenty-dollar ticket was not worth the performance given.