K2 Surmounts Male Bonding Challenges Under Duress

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- Dragon Theatre pulled out all the creative stops when it decided to stage K2, the story of two accomplished climbers mounting the second highest mountain in the world.

Mount Everest is the highest. But K2 is considered the toughest, gaining the coined name "savage mountain." The Himalayan wonder is a member of the "8,000" club, a group of 14 mountains in Asia that rise more than 8,000 meters above sea level -- at 28,000 feet.

In 1978, Seattle lawyer Jim Wickwire and his buddy Louis Reichardt were stranded on the beast of the mountain resting in Pakistan near the Chinese border amid insurmountable odds of surviving.

The production will keep you wondering whether they do. (No spoiler here.)

Much of the performance is dominated by thought-provoking dialogue. Wickwire is single and wild, referring to his more homebody buddy as the guy living in a Hallmark card experience. There are times audience members would wonder how they ever stayed friends the way they bicker. One can tell the snipping isn't all because of their circumstances.

But the level of compassion and utter place-your-life-on-the-line friendship is extraordinary.

Playwright Patrick Meyers put a different twist on the story that was made into a 1991 movie with Michael Biehn and Matt Craven. There's a scene where "Taylor" played by Chuck Phelps tells "Harold" played by John Rutski that he can't live with himself leaving his best buddy on a mountain while he lives on. It is a cut-to-the-core scene that is captivating -- one in which most would wish real life was like. In the movie, Taylor calls it nobility.

The play runs through Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. The Dragon Theatre is located at 2120 Broadway St. Tickets are $35 for general admission; $27 for students and seniors. Visit https://www.dragonproductions.net/other-events/latenight.html.

Tip: Wear a coat as if you're on the mountain. Notable: The effects and set design are memorable.

--Image courtesy of Dragon Theatre