Program Four was one of the best of this year's crop of the Artists Festival.
The Elixir of Genius written, produced and directed by George Soete, with Lori Pennington and Jonathan Sachs on stage. Soete captured the essence of the frustrations facing a fiction writer. Jake (Jonathan Sachs), a playwright, is slamming headlong into a major block. He immediately gets into a fight with his female protagonist, Laura (Lori Pennington). The rewrites don't work. She berates him, cajoles him, even becomes seductive. His block is monumental. Pennington, after a long absence from the stage, returns in excellent form, playing several decidedly different characters. Hey, don't all writers fight with their characters?
Travis and Phil: In Shorts, written and starring Phil Johnson and Travis Sentell under Rawle Lewis' direction. Johnson and Sentell return for a reprise of some of their opening-night frivolities. If you ever see their name on a marquee, rush to be first in line. Their take on life will keep you in laughs.
Which Reminds Me... penned, produced, and directed by James Anthony Ellis, who cast John Henry and Jessica Parsell. Ellis knows how young siblings act and talk. The stage became a battleground between younger sister (Jessica Parsell) and her older brother (John Henry). The reality of the conflict is performed flawlessly. And, as with most brother/sister conflicts, all's well that ends well.
Awkward Silence by Jay Reiss, directed by Jason Heil, and starring Lisel Gorell-Getz and Ryan Drummond. It's a first date, one of those horrible blind ones. We don't hear the dialogue, only each's inner reaction and commentary. This is the date destined to be nominated for "The Date from Hell!" Heil's direction is right on, as are the performances of Gorell-Getz and Drummond. The silences are deafening. Every subject is reacted to worse than the previous one. But, as the boring blah blah continues, something marvelous can happen. It's a cliff hanger. See you there Friday for the possible resolution.
The Manager by James Anthony Ellis, who also produced and directed, stars Erin Cronican. Erin left us for The Big Apple last year, and her talent has only grown. This monologue is also about a relationship. How many times has a man said to a woman, "I'll call or see you?" How many times will he call? Ellis explores what goes through the woman's mind. It's not pretty. Cronican goes through every possible emotion with conviction. While we laugh, we can feel her pain. Will the phone ever ring again? See the performance Friday for the answer to this question.
The Rehearsal by Jean Anouilh, Jason Heil producing and directing, and starring Douglas Lay and Jennifer Sowden. This snippet from Anouilh's 1963 play is the scene where the 20-year-old actress (Sowden) has returned from rehearsal only to be hit upon by another actor (Lay), an alleged friend of her lover. He is persistent and she defensive. Conflict brews as the two excellent actors verbally fence with each other.
Storm Windows penned by Matthew Scott, under Claudio Raygoza's direction, with Todd Blakesley, Monique Gaffney and Matthew Scott on stage. Blakesley is a doctor whose patient is slowly going brain dead. Gaffney is the patient's wife, who has watched him deteriorate over the last seven years. The piece is set slightly in the future where suicide is only legal with the informed consent of the patient (signed in multiple copies). The doctor administers an experimental drug that will turn this vegetable into a cognizant human for a very short time. Matthew Scott is absolutely brilliant in his transformation to an understanding person and back to the drooling, inarticulate human he has been. The moral issues and the pain are well handled by the cast. The audience was absolutely silent during the performance, exploding with applause at curtain. Congrats to the cast and director Raygoza.
