The acting at Ensemble Studio Theater is always top level, and their Marathon 2010 Series B is one of the most consistently well-written and engaging group of five plays they have presented. In they Float Up by Jacqueline Reingold, directed by Michael Barakiva, choreographed by Mimi Quillin, a young man meets an older topless dancer in a bar, and there is an exploration of trauma in New Orleans after the storm. It is well performed by William Jackson Harper and Kellie Overbey.
In the very funny Interviewing Miss Davis by Laura Maria Censabella, directed by Kel Haney, Bette Davis (a killer Delphi Harrington) gets a new assistant. Airborne by Laura Jacqmin, directed by Dan Bonnell, with stunt choreography by Maggie MacDonald, is a powerfully written, beautifully staged and acted (by Megan Tusing and Amy Staats) stylized, parachute action-movement piece.
Amateurs, written by David Auburn and directed by Harris Yulin, gives us a play about political expediency with fine performances by Diana Ruppe, Debbie Lee Jones and a deeply moving David Rasche.
The closer, Anniversary by Rachel Bonds, directed by Linsay Firman, gives us a romantic encounter between two very different people, and the consequences of that difference. All in all, a satisfying evening of good theater with some of the best acting in town by this outstanding company.
