Defiance @ The Hipp

The Hippodrome’s latest main stage production, Defiance, opened last night with a VIP party with food from Fresco. Over 200 people purchased tickets for the thought-provoking show written by John Patrick Shanley, who also wrote the award-winning Doubt. The small, six-member cast carried the audience through an 80-minute exploration of ethics and race set on a Marine base in North Carolina in 1971, at the tail-end of the Vietnam War. Without an intermission, you’re engrossed in the thought-provoking play until the last line. Sprinkled with witticisms and quips, the show’s small snippets of comedy are as intelligent as the serious discussion it leads.

Under the direction of Mary Hausch, all of the actors give an emotionally-charged performance. Real-life husband and wife David Sitler and Carolyn Popp are perfect as the unthinking career military man Lt. Colonel Littlefield and philosophical, patient wife Margaret. Matthew Lindsay, last seen in the Hipp’s Dead Man’s Cellphone, brings the idealistic Alabamian Chaplain White to life. Ryan George, fifth-year fine arts senior at UF, makes his professional debut as the reluctant Capt. King. His booming voice and strong presence make for a commanding portrayal of a young black officer who wants to fade away in uniform but instead is pulled into a serious situation he would have rather avoided.

“I’m very honored to perform a play that will get people engaged and thinking and excited about seeing theater,” says Ryan.

Defiance runs until March 21. Visit The Hippodrome's Web site for tickets and more information.

-Bridget Higginbotham