Ranting and Raving 

By Mary Damiano

The truth about the truth in a murder case is revealed in The Rant

To paraphrase an old saying, there are three sides to every story: his side, her side and the truth.

This trinity is at the heart of Andrew Case’s play, The Rant, making its world premiere at New Theatre in Coral Gables.

The Rant is a cleverly crafted, relentless drama. It begins with a woman (Patrice DeGraff-Arenas) alone on stage, giving her side of the story of what happened the night her son was shot and killed by a police officer. It ends with one of the police officers (Reiss Gaspard) involved in the shooting alone on stage, giving his side. In the 90 minutes between those two scenes, the cop and the mother are joined by an investigator (Pilar Uribe) looking into police misconduct, and a newspaper reporter (Ricky Waugh). Their jobs are to discover the facts in the case and, ultimately, the truth of what happened that night.

Case worked in New York City’s official agency for investigating police misconduct for eight years. In his program notes, he discusses what the job taught him about human behavior. And that’s the really fascinating part of The Rant. It crystallizes the things we all know, but might not want to admit: Everyone has an agenda, facts are predicated on perspective, and the truth is elusive.

Given Case’s former line of work, it’s ironic that the weakest link in an otherwise strong piece is the role of the investigator. She lets the bullying she suffered as a child, due to her Iranian heritage, get in the way of her ethics. She’s also the blandest character and gives Uribe little to work with.

The other three characters are richly drawn. DeGraff-Arenas delivers a powerful performance as a grieving mother. Gaspard wears his role as a second skin. He’s believable and riveting, especially as The Rant moves toward its climax. Waugh offers a bit of much-needed comic relief and is dead-on as a reporter more interested in a front-page byline than the people behind his stories.

The set is bleak and oddly clunky — even the actors had trouble navigating it and kept bumping into chairs. The lighting is harsh, sometimes appropriately so. It fits Case’s writing, which conveys the dark aspects of the human condition.

The Rant runs through Oct. 26 at New Theatre, 4120 Laguna St., Coral Gables. Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 305-443-5909 or visit www.new-theatre.org.

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