Review: Theatre Too's DEER hits hard—and not just the bumper

Photos by Jeffrey Schmidt 

DEER

By Aaron Mark

Directed by Christie Vela

Assistant Directed by Shatorey Watson

Audience Rating: R for mature subject matter, dark humor, language
Run Time: 2 Hours with one 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
Sound Level: Comfortable Volume Level
Audio/Visuals to prepare For: Use of stage blood

Reviewed by Michael Winters

On a dark night in the Poconos, Ken and Cynthia drive toward their cabin, hoping for a quiet weekend together after 25 years of marriage. Their daughter has moved out, and Cynthia is still grieving her mother’s death. Ken is almost giddy with anticipation; Cynthia grips the wheel, her tension. Then the unexpected, a deer crashes into their path. What follows isn’t just an accident; it’s a plunge into their own fractured psyches, where humor and horror collide in equal measure.

Deer has aptly been called a “creepy joyride,” a description that fits as snugly as the unfortunate animal against the bumper. The collision shatters Cynthia’s carefully maintained silence, sending her spiraling into hysteria as she insists on bringing the wounded deer back to the cabin to nurse it to health. Ken, however, responds with chilling practicality, believing the kinder choice is to end the animal’s suffering—an early clash that lays bare the couple’s sharply diverging moral instincts.

Chad Cline and Shannon J. McGrann both deliver a remarkable emotional range. McGrann’s physical comedy on a blood-red couch—bottle-feeding the deer—is both absurd and precious, making us laugh with a mix of humor and discomfort. She follows with a monologue that swings from hilarious to heartbreaking, revealing a life exhausted by the care of others. Her performance is both brilliant and deeply affecting.

In Act 2, Chad Cline’s character undergoes a striking emotional shift as tightly held secrets come to light and priorities change. Ken becomes absorbed in rewriting his new book, while Cynthia seeks to be intimate which Ken deflects. The revelation of a key secret—too juicy to spoil—upends everything, and it’s remarkable to watch both performers recalibrate their characters’ outlooks, especially given the tone of the first act. Cline’s Ken is a study in gradual unraveling; by Act 2, secrets and shifting priorities expose a man struggling to reconcile desire, duty, and denial.

Christie Vela’s direction strikes a careful balance between movement and stillness, using quiet moments to make the intense scenes even more impactful. She steers the actors through the play’s heavy themes with a subtle, thoughtful hand, leaving the audience thinking about the story long after it ends.

David Saldivar has crafted fight sequences that hit hard in the intimate space of Theatre Too. The physicality feels immediate and raw, with each movement flowing so naturally it’s easy to forget it’s choreographed—emerging instead from the characters’ emotions in the moment.

Jeffrey Schmidt’s set creates a convincingly rustic world with subtle hints that something is off. Dead tree trunks, creeping vines, and deer-silhouette sconces give the space an eerie, almost mythic feel, reflecting Ken and Cynthia’s psychological unraveling. The blood-red couch—once a car seat—becomes the cabin sofa, a clever visual touch where several darkly comic moments with the deer unfold, blending humor and unease. Jenny Barrett’s lighting and Dylan Hearn’s sound design underscore the tension without ever drawing attention away from the story, creating an atmosphere that’s both eerie and oddly hypnotic.

Deer at Theatre Three is a tense, darkly comic exploration of secrets, deception, love, and conflict. Is the deer really the catalyst, or is it Ken and Cynthia’s subconscious surfacing buried truths? The answer is left for the audience to decide. What is clear, however, is that this production is gripping, a little unsettling, and a wildly entertaining “creepy joyride”—one you can enjoy without worrying about actual harm. Well… maybe not entirely! Continuing through February 22. Tickets can be purchased at theatre3dallas.com

Let theatre take you places—it’s worth the ride.

Michael Winters