The Common Air One-person shows are a risky business that generally feel more like a showcase for the artist rather than a play for the audience.
The Common Air is a one-man show that rises above this common pitfall, delivering a commentary on America through a selection of engaging characters brought together in conversation while being held under what turns out to be a false alarm. Alex Lyras (the one-man) deftly creates six separate characters: an optimistic, immigrant cabdriver, an art dealer battling with a life-changing decision, a quick-talking lawyer, a hapless DJ, a Texas professor with son in tow, and an American of Iraqi descent who has just returned from his first journey to the country of his birth.
Lyras colors each character with specific details unique to them, making all exist as distinct individuals even as we watch the same actor transition from one to the other. Lyras gives strong definition to some of these characters within their first seconds under the rising lights and makes astounding connections with the lawyer and the art dealer, so much so that they both leave you wanting to see more of them. The only character that doesn't hold up to the consistent level of depth and resonance is that of the DJ, whose story seems trite when compared with the others and has a skin too thin for Lyras to disappear into. Overall, Lyras proves to be an actor of great ability with a profound understanding of human nature. The script, co-written by Lyras and director Robert McCaskill, moves well, giving each character (with the exception of the aforementioned DJ) a reason for being along with a compelling back story.
One of the strongest aspects of this play is the way in which it transitions from character to character. Beginning with the switch from the cabdriver to the art dealer, we quickly learn that the art dealer had been the person in the back seat that the driver had been talking to. This hand-off continues throughout the piece, giving the audience hints of the character to come while providing a new perspective on the character who has just left. As director, McCaskill complements this writing device by moving the staging in a clockwise manner that not only makes the final connection between all these individuals but also leaves empty spaces in the circle for their ghosts to haunt as the new characters make their appearances. This ultimately helps counterbalance some of the less-appealing qualities generally associated with one-person plays and gives the piece a more rounded feel. Production value is of a high quality.
The set, designed by Casey Smith, is functional in structure and makes dazzling use of what one might assume is rear projection on the screens that line the upstage wall. Ken Rich's original score soars with moments of beauty, and his sound design is crisp with an immediacy that lends itself to the timeliness of the piece.
This is a play about the here and now and the common air that we share as human beings in a world where alarms and terrorists threats that are meant to keep us divided could inadvertently bring us together in a positive wayat least in a moment of conversation.