Workshop Theater Company’s show of seven one-acts, Cold Snaps, gives us a well-produced, enjoyable presentation of plays written by their members: The Latest News from the Primordial Ooze by Rich Orloff, a cute, zany display of evolution from the aquatic; Look me in the Eyes by Margo Hammond about couple communication; Sugarplum by Scott C. Sickles, a surreal psychotic nightmare about a mental patient cleverly staged by Ryan Lee; To Build a Fire by Greg Oliver Bodine about two men freezing in the wilderness; To Live by Bob Manus about two Holocaust prisoners making choices to survive a vicious Nazi, Now You See It, Now You Don’t by Robert Strozier about daters meeting, and Nine Moons Ago by Anne Fizzard, a very cute piece about two cave women with babies.
The acting by this troupe is all quite good, quite believable, except for one glaring example of overacting by giving a gesture for every word, a facial change for every other word. I won’t name the poor man, who somehow is a member of Actors Equity. All I can do is give two quotes: Alfred Lunt said the secret of acting is “Say the lines loud and clear, and don’t bump into the furniture,” and “The Method” says “Don’t ACT — just think the thoughts and say the lines.” But this is a quibble; Cold Snaps is a rewarding evening of innovative theater performed by a talented company. I look forward to their next venture.
