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Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast A Different Perspective
A Different Perspective consisted of four plays of varying lengths; the first three strongly fit the evening's title by looking at life from an usual angle. The plays were Living Arrangements by Ron Pantello about a cat and dog sharing living quarters; We're having a Baby by Irene L. Pynn; Breaking Harvard by Nicole Cunningham, about parents with an unusual occupation trying to gain their child's entrance into Harvard Law School; and Gene & Aggie by Jo Morello, in which Jamie and Eugene O'Neill have a chance meeting with Agnes Boulton (who became Eugene O'Neill's wife and muse) in a bar. Living Arrangements is written as a comedy, 10 minutes in and out, and captures the dog vs. cat personality very well. It was helped by a superb performance by Killam Tyler Johnson as Prince the Dog, all doggie joie di vivre. Twice he pointed out that he cannot tell time, but my own dogs give lie to that as they always know exactly when it is time to get up, go the doggie park, or get fed. Katherine Dye was a late change in casting as Penelope the cat and she was excellent, really nailing the physical movements of a feline. They were aided by Jamie Lee Butrum's fine direction. We're Having a Baby is a slightly more substantial piece, about 20 minutes. It started off as comedy, but about midway through showed a more serious side, which I found interesting. Performances by Jamie Lee Butrum as Cynthia the wife, Rik Robertson as Rik the husband, and Michael Kinsey as Dr. Hubbard were all very good. Ms. Butrum gets the MVP award of the evening, directing two plays and acting in one, as well. Mr. Robertson was extremely engaging in a part that had potential to not garner the audience's sympathy, and Mr. Kinsey was so good I checked the program as soon as the play was over to see if he might actually be a doctor in real life. Breaking Harvard benefited from having a real life couple, Diana and Mark Shoemaker, playing its central husband and wife. Michael Kinsey portrayed the Harvard administrator who can't get past their odd career choices. Because Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker appear to be right out of a suburban middle-class life, their portrayals of porn stars became hilariously off kilter. Comedy becomes almost farce late in the 20-minute piece, and director Nicole Cunningham kept it all in great focus. Gene & Aggie doesn't seem to belong under the "different perspective" banner, unless playwright Jo Morello was thinking that she offers us a different view of Eugene O'Neill, younger and before the drinking had begun to destroy him. It is an interesting piece; I am always intrigued by a reimagining of real events and real people. I wonder if this might be a work in progress, with possible development into a one act play. It was well acted by Janet Raines as Aggie, Tal Reeve as Eugene, and Tyler Yurckonis in the supporting role of Jamie. This was the one place where the limited production values got in the way. Ms. Raines was wearing clothes that, while not authentically of the period (1920s at least), strongly suggested an earlier era, a cloche hat, blouse and pearls, while the men were not costumed at all, merely wearing rehearsal or street attire. If they had had costumes, I think they would have delineated the characters more. Director Ken Erickson paced things well and offered a decent first presentation. I am glad for this fledgling group; they are definitely making progress with more consistent acting and good play choices. This company desires to be playwright driven, a place for new work. Ms. Morello was telling me at intermission that they are having a hard time just being able to read through all the submissions, which I'm sure is a time consuming task. Monthly productions seems to be a doable goal, especially when they have free use of the upstairs at The Starlite Restaurant, courtesy of owner Tyler Yurckonis. Don't forget to check out their October offering, October 8-11, 2015, and remember that tickets come with a 15% discount to dine downstairs. A Different Perspective played through September 13, 2015, presented by The Starlite Players at The Starlite Room, 1001 Cocoanut Avenue, Sarasota, FL. www.starliteplayers.com. Producing Artistic Director: Jo Morello |
