Matt Thompson's Hemingway's Rose, just the right length at slightly under one hour, is hilarious. Combining Angela D. Miller's directing talent with the comedic timing of actors Ted Reis, Jonathan Sachs, and Julie Sachs makes for a delightful, albeit short, evening.
Earlier this week I laughed heartily at Culture Clash's over-long opus at the La Jolla Playhouse. In Hemingway's Rose we return to the classical humor of a comedian and his straight man. Was I actually watching an updated Abbot-and-Costello schtick? Ted Reis' character is the funnyman, getting away with comedic mayhem, as Jonathan Sachs' character becomes increasingly frustrated and slashes out at the peak of his emotion. Julie Sachs is the balancing character who seems to take the edge off of the tension.
Hemingway's Rose is in three acts. We first meet the men in a Laundromat doing their weekly chores. Enter a young lady in a rush, late for work, with clothes that have to be instantly dried. George (Ted Reis) offers to take his laundry out of one of the many dryers he is using. He then attempts to con the woman (Julie Sachs). Max (Jonathan Sachs) insists George be truthful. We find that he has conned both of them. The laughs roll; the tensions mount.
In Act Two, we join the men at a ball game. Max is intense, screaming and ranting at the players, the ump and even poor George. George is simply trying to enjoy the game. The woman is selling programs and munchies. Again, laugher rolls, tensions mount. Thompson has a delightful surprise in this act.
Act Three takes place in a restaurant with the men sitting near each other and being served by a waitress. The relationships are much the same. This time Thompson sneaks in a bit of dialogue that takes the audience into another world. Oh, there is a rose in a vase on the table.
Reis and Sachs could easily form a stand-up comedy team with Thompson writing for them. We wish he had written a few more words for the woman. Julie Sachs has the opportunity to give the audience three distinctly different characters. She often says as much with a look, a reaction, as the men do with lines of dialogue.
6th@Penn Theater in no way can be compared to La Jolla Playhouse, but in this 49-seat theater, I heard the words of a talented, and probably warped mind of a playwright coming out of the mouths of three very skilled actors. I qualified my recommendations about CC's production; I have absolutely none for Hemingway's Rose. Don't miss it.
