Set in the Depression era of 1937 Tennessee Williams play “Spring Strom” is a captivating story of a Heavenly Critchfield in love with a tough living river rat Dick Miles but is then passionately involved with Arthur Shannon a man who has loved her now playing at Cal State Fullerton Performing Arts Center through Nov. 12.

Information on “Spring Strom” James R. Taulli-directed production can be found at www.fullerton.edu/arts/events or you can purchase tickets at the box office Hallberg Theatre, CSUF Performing Arts Center, 800 N. State College Blvd., or by calling 714-278-3371.

Miles, played by Brian Turley and Critchfield played by Valorie Curry are the two that stand out along with Aaron Gaines who plays the man in love with the southern belle Shannon.

All three display quality of character that would make anyone who has not seen a play before understand the passion that Miles has for his girlfriend, but also the audience gets everyone point of view from each of the characters within the play.

As each scene is played out what standout the most is the scene where Shannon finally shows how much she has love Critchfield but that Miles interrupts because of the “how-dare-he-goes-after-my-girlfriend attitude.”

The affect of turning the stage full circle in the fighting scene between Miles and Shannon gave the audience the illusion of actually witnessing what happens to lead to the fight and what happened afterward; it was as if I was actually there.

What is appealing about the three actors is their ability to transform themselves into each of their perspective characters.

Curry, for the beginning is Critchfield from the beginning of her love for Miles the audience understands the pain she goes through as she figures out whom she loves. In addition, the accents that each of the characters displays is geuininunely authentic that one can actually think that they are in the southern state of Port Tyler, MS.

For his play Turley as Critchfield’s boyfriend is equally affective in his character and in how much he is in love with her. Although Turley had a fairly minimal play he was most effective when he and Gaines had a fight scene after Miles finds out that his girlfriend kissed Shannon.

Furthermore, with Shannon being in love with Critchfield there is also the love that Hertha Neilson, played by Lauren Behrle has for Shannon because as she put it, “he was the only boy that would look at me twice.”

For her that turned out to be the one thing that she held on to but has a difficult time just as Shannon to express what she feels for him and in turn drive her completely insane when she finally has him all to herself and tells him.

Talk about melodramatic on the part of Behrle as she scream out one can understand the anger, frustration and hurt if someone has gone through that before and as the spotlight is on her who has not gone through beating themselves up for final admitting their true feeling for someone they thought love them back?

That’s exactly the affect Behrle displays within this pivotal scene and driving her to commit suicide after a drunken Shannon rejects her.

There was also symbolism throughout each scene because as the characters scene moved indoors is was parallel to the audience and as the scene moved indoors with the character it was moved perpendicular to the audience giving you the point of view of each of the character within that particular scene.

It was effective because there were no two sides to each story but, those who were involved including those of Critchfield, Shannon, and Crtichfield’s mother Esmeralda, played by Rita Renee and her sister Lila, played by Evelyn Carol Case it was a diverse point of view from each of their perceptive as well.

One would not mind the fact that the younger Critchfield, Shannon or the aunt do light up a smoke; that to me at least was not a problem as there was one and one dialogue between Critchfield and Ralph Kramer, played by Jason Justin who admits to her that he now understands what Miles see in her that she is beautiful.

There was absolutely nothing that can be said that was not critical about the play as a whole because in the end one would understand how a love triangle can soon be over.