ON STAGE
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Peter Ruocco, right, as "The Boss," offers "The Girl," Maryann Peterson, to "The Killer" (Alexander Hubbard) in "Battle of Will," on stage at Kennedy Theatre starting Friday.
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UH theater debut features power struggle
"Battle of Will"
» Where: Kennedy Theatre, University of Hawaii-Manoa
» When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Nov. 18 and 19, and 2 p.m. Nov. 20 (free pre-show chat at 7 p.m. for the Saturday and Nov. 19 performances)
» Tickets: $15 general; $13 seniors, military, UH faculty/staff; $10 students; and $4 UHM students with valid Fall 2005 UHM ID
» Call: 956-7655
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The Killer's family has been massacred by The Boss. The Killer tries to exact his revenge by shooting The Boss, always under the watchful protection of The Bodyguards. But The Killer ends up only wounding The Boss in the arm. While others caught up in this underworld die under the single, sharp crack of gunfire, The Boss is meant to stay alive. That's because he wants The Killer to be his heir apparent, a father figure to a son he can hand over his ill-gotten gains to.
The power struggle that ensues between the two takes up the second half of "Battle of Will," this season's debut for the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Kennedy Theatre, the late start caused by a well-publicized mold cleanup that delayed the usage of the venerable space.
"Battle of Will," written by notable French writer and playwright Laurent Gaudé and translated into English by Scottish playwright David Greig, marks the second project for European theater faculty member Markus Wessendorf. (The staging of "The Robbers" marked his debut back in 2002.)
Wessendorf uses sparse sets, atmospheric lighting, narration and music, and stylized violence to present an ambitiously staged play that combines classical Western drama with the archetypes of film noir. Peter Ruocco stands out in the cast for his single-minded portrayal of the conniving crime boss.