By Raymond Dean Jones

Exactly one year after Ted Lange’s play, Four Queens – No Trump, had its regional premiere at Shadow Theatre in June 2006, another Lange creation will have its first onstage presentation in the Rocky Mountain region at Shadow. Written and directed by Lange, Soul Survivor is another example of Lange’s wonderful talent for writing “dramedy.”

“It’s an angry play, but it’s comedy,” Lange says.

Like many of his works, the play originated out of Lange’s fertile mind at a time in his life when he had feelings to vent and questions that demanded answers. His marriage was breaking up. He related that, “Money was not enough; fame was not enough. There had to be something more.” 

In his quest for answers, he wrote the play in four efficient weeks, described by him as “a very emotional ride.” As do most people at that junction in their lives he was pondering, “What happened; what went wrong; is there such a thing as true love; where are the beautiful women?”

There is someone who has the answers to those questions. It’s the Devil. But, his price for the goods is rather steep, as Guy, the protagonist in Soul Survivor, discovers when he encounters and falls in love with a beautiful woman named Stacey, who is everything he desires. Lange’s “Everyman” and “Everywoman” surpass Faust’s characters of the same genre on beauty and acting alone, but their dilemma is the same:  can I give up my soul for this love? It’s a question posed on several levels in the play. It will be well worth your time and the dime to find out.

Soul Survivor has played to rave reviews around the country. It was presented at the National Black Theatre Festival at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, as well as at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles. The late Yolanda King starred in the role of Stacey in the latter production.

The play will no doubt excite the many aficionados of Lange and Shadow Theatre, who have come to regard Shadow as the genesis of the very best and consistently most creative and artistic theater in the Denver metro area. One would do well to reserve and purchase tickets early, as several performances have already sold out. But, when you go, have your soul intact, because the Devil may have a deal you can’t refuse.

Editor's note: Soul Survivor opens May 31, June 1 and 2, and shows on subsequent Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through June 30. Shadow is located at 1420 Ogden St., and tickets can be reserved through the box office at 303-837-9355.

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