What does it mean to be truly subjective? How deep can changes to ourselves go? These are questions you take with you after seeing “The Shape of Things.” The show opened at 8pm on Friday night and will continue until April 5.

Attending the 2 p.m. showing at Rafters Theatre, I did not know what to expect when I first walked in.

Seeing the large crowd that had gathered for the performance it gave me a good impression that this show was going to be interesting. Even so, I was still taken aback by what I witnessed on that stage.

The play centers around a young woman named Evelyn (Nikki Seng) and a young man named Adam (Nick Smith).

Meeting in a very awkward way in a gallery, they enter into a relationship where Adam begins to change his routine to appeal to his new girlfriend.

Her straightforward nature and disregard for rules and censorship on art angers both of Adam’s friends, his former roommate Phil (Matt Hudacs) and his fiancée Jenny (Alyssa Radar).

Left to right: The four main characters in the play include Alyssa Rader, Matt Hudacs, Nikki Seng and Nick Smith. Photo by Brian Henninger.
Left to right: The four main characters in the play include Alyssa Rader, Matt Hudacs, Nikki Seng and Nick Smith. Photo by Brian Henninger.

Adam’s character changes dramatically throughout the play physically and emotionally as well. Yet as his relationship with Evelyn becomes more intimate he begins to have a falling out with both of his friends.

Only to find out in the end that his entire relationship with Evelyn was a sculpting project to see how he could be manipulated and changed from who he was into something new.

What I took away from this play was that change can sometimes be easier than we think, especially in today’s society. That the things you do to the outside of your body can also affect you on the inside in subtle ways.

Another theme I took away from this play is that everyone can look and something by at the same time see something different. While one person may think something is beautiful another may find it offensive.

However, what theme this play stressed most of all is that having those opinions are fine as long as you are never indifferent.

I highly recommend seeing this play. Show days are April 2, 3, 4 at 8pm and April 5 at 2pm.

Watch it yourself and decide what you think it means.