And let the plays begin. It's summer in San Diego, and the 16th annual Actor's Festival is underway. (San Diego is fortunate to be the site of several short play festivals, which begin in the summer and run through the fall.) This festival opened with two very, very funny comedians: Travis Sentell and Phil Johnson. The entered stage center, seated themselves and began a dialogue as two reviewers of the Festival. They gave all of us reviewers a bad name, panning show titles, actors and the festival in general. The audience loved it, as did the reviewers and critics I recognized. They were back for more after intermission.
The plays ran from four minutes to twenty-nine. The quality of acting in Program One was excellent. The only problem was long-to-very long scene changes, likely due to the lack of a full staff of stagehands and change rehearsals. This, no doubt, will be improved throughout the run. Let's take a quick look at the plays.
I Can't Imagine Tomorrow by Tennessee Williams, starring Priscilla Allen and Bill Dunnam under the direction of D. J. Sullivan, opened the festival. The characters are towards the end of their life, she more than he. He has a speech affliction that makes it hard for him to communicate, causing him to lose his teaching position. She finding it hard to walk. A downer for an opener? No, not when these two our on stage. A truly heartwarming, slow-paced play. Travis and Phil: In Shorts (opening night only) by and starring Travis Sentell and Phil Johnson under Rawle Lewis's direction. They are God, in white hair and flowing robe, and Jesus, in long dark hair and baseball cap. Jesus is ready to return for a second coming, while God discourages him. A very funny bit.
Rocking Chair Riddle by and starring Barbara Cole and directed by Amy Mayer. Cole is a natural comedienne, who changes characters and ages totally convincingly. She plays a new mother, then steps into other roles with a change of a scarf and little more. Each new character, from a much older woman to a blond stereotype is so complete that you can see the wrinkles, or lack thereof. Her walk, her every movement is that of her new character. A comedic tour de force.
Roquefort by Ted LoRusso, directed by Jeffrey Ingman, and starring Lisa Berger and Mike Sears. Mom and Dad have been locked out of their kitchen by the young son. Finally, they break in to discover a note on a head of lettuce stating that he'd turned himself in to the head of lettuce. This is a delightfully absurdist comedy.
Welcome to Group, a George Soete-penned piece starring Edwin Eigner, Michael Hubbard, John Hyatt, Haig KoshKarian, Jonathan Sachs, and Thom Vegh is directed by Michael Thomas Tower. Soete has brought together a group of misfits typifying the worst-case scenario of a group session. The poor shrink lost control from second one. We observe the frustrations of some members of the group, but, also, the change in a some as they actually see into their problems. A probing, interesting piece.
What an Interesting Person You Probably Are, inked by Fredi Towbin, who also produced and directed this very short piece. David Paa and Kenny Taylor, a father and son, are in a Los Angeles movie theater lobby. We are provided a short, but significant insight into them and their relationship.
We Do It Broken is penned by Patricia Loughrey and directed by George Soete. Jerusha Neal opens with a monologue when Julie Sachs drags herself in, wounded and bloodied. Soon we find that the wounded one is the strong one, and the whole one may not be so whole. This is a moving piece that ended Program One with hope.
Subtitle:
Program 1
Opened:
July 19, 2006
Ended:
July 30, 2006
Country:
USA
State:
California
City:
San Diego
Company/Producers:
Countywide Actors Association theaters
Theater Type:
Regional
Theater:
Lyceum Space
Theater Address:
Horton Plaza
Phone:
619-640-3900
Running Time:
2 hrs
Genre:
One-Acts
Director:
various directors
Review:
Cast:
see review
Critic:
Robert Hitchcox
Date Reviewed:
July 2006
