Festival of New One Act Plays provides three hours of laughs
Productions aided by impressive sets and clever acting
By Jeana Blackman
Whoever said you can’t please everyone has obviously never been
to Act One ’95, the Second Annual Festival of New One Act Plays
playing at the Met Theatre.
The six one-acts that compose Evening A run the gamut Â
from brothers dealing with their mother’s possible suicide to a
spoof on the health craze that’s currently sweeping the nation.
Almost all of the shows contain elements of comedy, even if they
deal with a serious topic. Maybe the writers feel that if the
audience is kept laughing, they’ll forget that the evening is three
hours long.
Actually, one of the most impressive things about the production
is how quickly sets are changed. There were three one- acts in each
segment, and the pause never lasted longer than a minute. Kudos to
production stage manager Michel Chenelle, stage manager Melanie
Oettinger and their crew for acing a difficult task.
But back to the shows. "The Juiceman Cometh" by Peter Spiro is
by far the best of the six. It’s also the last. But the wonderful
pacing and writing, plus a top-notch crew of actors makes it worth
the wait. The show is just made for an L.A. audience with its
clever parody of the current health-conscious attitude.
The characters are all sitting in a juice "bar," drink shots of
"wheat grass" and chase it down with lawn juice. And if that isn’t
enough, they chew sprouts as if it was tobacco. What makes it work
is the absolute seriousness in which the characters handle it.
Sandy Martin is especially fun to watch and Sherman Howard is
delightful as the Juiceman himself who has temporarily fallen off
the wagon and has eaten meat. (Oh no!) By the end, you’ll be hoping
for a second act.
"Betrayed by Everyone" is also a good jaunt through the lives of
two teenagers getting to know each other before a party begins. It
does a good job of telling a story instead of getting caught up in
the whole Generation X issue.
Mark Ruffalo puts in an amazing performance as Warren, a rather
alienated young man. He does a great job of giving the character
charm. Of course with a line like "Chivalry is not dead; it just
smells funny," it’s hard to not laugh.
The best thing about the production is that despite all of the
laughs at some really great jokes, the show is not just a shallow
chuckle fest. The need for the two to belong to someone comes
across loud and clear and speaks to all of us. A wonderfully
constructed piece.
"Affections of an Alleycat" by Wil Cahoun has a similar theme.
The difference is that the characters are older and have spent a
lifetime pushing people away. This piece does have its comic
moments, but its real strength lies in some of the dramatic
pauses.
The fire and connection between Denise (Susan Barnes) and Eddie
(Arliss Howard) is so strong you’ll be hooked. They are wonderful
together, and they have just enough balance between sarcasm and
real emotion that they don’t distance the audience, but it’s clear
how their behavior leads to that. We care what happens to them.
It’s another great piece of theater.
Two of the pieces have family themes, and both of these made
their own positive contributions to the evening. "The Talk" by
Frank Pugliese has the distinct honor of opening the evening. It’s
also one of the shortest one-acts of the evening, making it seem as
if the whole story was kind of cramped.
Pugliese wastes no time, which is some cases may be a blessing.
In this case, he has established four wonderful beginnings of
brothers but there’s not really enough to get to know them and
therefore care about them. Just as you are beginning to figure out
who’s who and how everyone relates to each other, the act is
over.
The idea is good, as the four brothers are struggling to deal
with the possible suicide of their mother and an upcoming serious
talk with their father. The four actors also do a credible job of
rounding out their characters as much as possible. The main
drawback is that Pugliese doesn’t give the story time to
develop.
On the other hand, "Water and Wine" by Stuart Spencer is a
little too long. This father and son tale is a great story idea
about a boy torn between the desire to follow his artistic impulses
and his responsibility to tend to the vineyards with his father.
It’s given a rustic charm by being set around the Renaissance time
period.
The catalyst for the plot is the discovery of an ancient statue
that a crusty, but well-known artist is coming to evaluate. The
story seems to be asking the question whether or not it is ever too
late for your dreams, but it gets lost in some long drawn out
conversations, especially between the boy and the artist.
For instance, the man that accompanies the artist spends more
time looking at this "exquisite" statue (located offstage) with the
boy’s father than the artist does, obviously to make time for the
boy’s "bonding moment" with the cantankerous artist.
There are some good things about the production that make it
pleasing to sit through. Tom Bower as the father is a delight and
Adam Scott as the boy does well in maintaining the balance between
practicality and idealism. The set is charming complete with
candles and a rustic mountain feel.
Basically the story gets bogged down by some extra dialogue that
doesn’t need to be there. The idea is established far more quickly
than the playwright maybe realizes. The basis, however, is there
which makes it worth it.
The only show that absolutely does not work is "You Belong to
Me" by Keith Reddin. It attempts to switch between the subconscious
with all of it’s crazy thoughts and reality. The main couple keeps
having fantasies about killing each other or joining in on the plot
to murder their mutual friend. Each of the "fantasies" are acted
out with a string bass playing underneath. When the music stops,
the actors return to reality.
Basically, there is no story or plot device that really holds
the show together. There’s no explanation why these characters
would even want to kill each other. Yet, all of this would be
acceptable if the jokes were funny. But they’re not. The show just
wanders aimlessly to its conclusion, which the entire audience
wasn’t even sure was the conclusion.
The actors try to keep it together doing well in the transitions
from one state of mind to the next, but ultimately it’s not enough
to keep the script afloat. The only thing that makes this one-act
at all bearable is the fabulous String Bass Player Latif who
occasionally appears from behind a scrim. Just close your eyes and
listen to him. Don’t worry, you won’t really miss anything.
However, the one downer is not enough to keep this from being a
thoroughly enjoyable evening of entertainment. Act One ’95, Evening
A compiles some really fabulous talent in all areas from writing to
acting, and it is well worth the time spent. One piece of advice,
if you go on a Saturday, see the 5 p.m. show. By the end of the
later show, you might just be exhausted.
THEATER: Act One ’95, Evening A at the Met Theater, 1089 North
Oxford, Hollywood. Runs varying evenings through May 27 (alternates
with Evening B). TIX: $19 General. For more info call (213)
957-1152 between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (except Tuesdays).