A twist on a coming-of-age play, One of a Kind has Eden Bar anticipating writing in her dull diary about the 16th birthday she is about to celebrate. It comes, and with it, her trip to the government Personality Office. There she’ll receive her Personality Definition with which to leave childhood and become an adult. On the big day, Eden meets discouraging judges who act like bouncy office workers ready to be clowns. Made-up faces—and for some huge dark rimmed glasses—give them definitiveness. In contrast to Eden, they wear colorful (green, yellow, red) clothes, brandish big feathered fans, and use huge grey rubber balls to sit on or move with. Are those in character? Eden does dismally on her personality test. The office’s blue-haired superior, wearing tight tights, suggests a new Application route to Eden. Filling it out and experiencing the results go on comically through goofy but cute dances, songs, marching and otherwise moving toward conclusions. There’s suspense as an Open Door appears. So this cute little romp, though with some death-dark stops, makes both Eden and audience wonder. Is all a dream? How does it end and, if it does, is it good or bad, for one or all? Does it suggest happenings in the world outside the theater? Whatever the answers, the show is suitable for showing off. And the cast never runs down.
