Bad Date Theater!, a co-production of Misfit Productions and Korbett Kompany Productions showcases five examples of oddball relationships. Alan Ball's The M Word, directed by Bob Korbett, features Connie Terwilliger and Bob Korbett as two people contemplating that move into the realm of the M word. Both characters are anal about contemplating every aspect of a marriage, which includes household duties, child rearing, extra-marital affairs, marriage adjustments, and much more. Terwilliger and Korbett form a perfect team. She is prim and proper. He is nerdy, a bit nervous. They give an amusing interpretation of their characters, serious to a fault.
Christopher Durang's Canker Sores and Other Distractions, directed by Fred Tracy, stars John Cid as Martin, Stephanie Ricciardelli as Prunella, and Lisa Goodman as Midge, the waitress. Martin and Prunella have been acrimoniously divorced for ten long years. This evening, at a greasy spoon, they talk about getting back together. Rudeness rules - to each other and to the waitress. Martin and Prunella actually hate each other; they begin with a delightful reunion and end with convincing disaster. Goodman's Midge is the stereotypical hash-house waitress. Though nicely rendered, this is one of Durang's less interesting works.
Alan Ball's Made for a Woman, directed by Bob Korbett, platforms Victoria Ma as Carly and Kevin Maxemin as Trent. Both deserve each other. They are hedonistic, egoistic, and any other istic you might want to add. She spends her time primping at her dressing table, he admiring his body and working out. Ma is soooo Valley Girl, though her character has an edge of loneliness. Maxemin gives Trent the proper amount of conceit. It's easy to dislike them both.
Richard Markgraf's The Date, directed by Fred Tracey, features sNaomi Raffel as Sadie and Jeremiah D. Powers as Donald. Sadie, a mother at sixteen, primps her son for his first date, at thirty. It's taken two years on an internet dating service to get a positive reply and a meeting at the local Starbucks. He defines the term loser. What transpires is pure delight. Donald goes off to Starbucks, while Sadie scans a magazine and dozes. Raffel's Sadie is an over-protective mother who feels the urge for her own freedom. Powers' Donald is a 30-year-old social mess. However, when he returns with "The Date" (played by an unnamed actress) he is a changed and charged man. The Date is aggressive. Clothing falls by the wayside as they head off-stage to the bedroom. (Had the exit been any further away, The Date would have had to be rated XXX. It is charming, well performed, and poignant. Donald's date is every young man's fantasy.
John Pielmeier's Vas Difference, directed by Fred Tracy, features Jeremiah D. Powers as patient Mr. McGuffin, Stephanie Ricciardelli as Nurse Boodie, Kevin Maxemin as Dr. Regan, and Nichole Brokaw as Mrs. Gloria Regan. Getting a vasectomy is both scary and liberating, a simple outpatient operation, andtakes all of five to ten minutes. Under the care of Nurse Boodie and Dr. Regan, though, it can become a nightmare. They have a lover's quarrel, when Mrs. Regan enters.
Vas Difference is action-packed with scalpels, knives, and even a gun. We don't see Powers' face as he is lying down on a gurney, head to audience and legs up. Ricciardelli and Maxemin exchange barbs most amusingly. Brokaw enters as the wounded wife, bringing the battle to a fevered pitch. The plot twists with a single line from Powers.
Ultimately, winners in this season's Bad Date Theatre! are The Date and The M Word. Comedian Mitch Feingold teases the audience between scenes, putting us on the spot about our own relationships. All in good fun, which is what the show is all about.
