Orlando Fringe 2023 review: ‘Multitudes’

Timothy Williams transforms himself into a multitude of characters for a glimpse inside a cult-like theater troupe

By Seth Kubersky on Fri, May 19, 2023 at 9:37 am

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Timothy Williams transforms himself into a multitude of characters for a glimpse inside a cult-like theater troupe

From Jonestown to Waco, it’s been tragically demonstrated time and again how easily charismatic leaders can deploy neuro-linguistic programming techniques to brainwash even the brightest people into becoming self-destructive sheep.

In this original one-man tour-de-force theatrical TED Talk, writer-performer Timothy Williams transforms himself into a multitude of complex characters for an intense, insightful glimpse inside a cult-like theater troupe.

No one — especially those in the arts — is immune from being led astray by their own ego, and progressive ideals can be manipulated to justify hypocrisy and rot just as easily as right-wing ones. In a world where we’ve all been anesthetized by social media, the raw emotions behind Williams’ interactive interrogation can be uncomfortable, especially when he takes a brutally Brechtian turn in the third act.

With the support of director Mark Ferrara and a disquieting Floydian soundscape by John Valines and Joshua Chiet, Williams weaves a mesmerizing web of words that will make you think unsettling thoughts.

I have some quibbles with the staging of the dramatic final confrontation and the script’s unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. But by challenging his audiences to face what happens when our personal beliefs collide with the truth, Williams has wrought one of the bravest and most bracing new dramas to hit Fringe in years.