After its 2013 off-Broadway debut, Annie Baker’s unorthodox, sociologically somber comedy The Flick embarked on a few high-profile mountings, including at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and London’s National Theatre — but not before it garnered the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The setting is an aging movie house in Worcester, Mass., where three underpaid employees greet patrons, run the film projector, clean up spilled sodas and execute all other tedious but necessary labors. With an original running time of approximately three hours, The Flick will challenge the staging and pacing skills of Jaclynn Jutting, who heads up the Belmont University Bachelor of Fine Arts directing program and is also an experienced handler of daring material in her own right. This sort of contemporary, unconventional and understated stage piece is central to Verge Theater Company’s progressive mission, offering thoughtful theatergoers a needed respite from the recent run of locally produced dusty dramas and well-worn musicals. Jutting’s cast features Amanda Card, Tony Nappo, Gerold Oliver and Joe Mobley. 7 p.m. June 1-3 and 14-16 at Belmont University Black Box Theatre, 2100 Belmont Blvd. MARTIN BRADY
The Flick
