Program Three of the Actors Festival is a truly mixed bag; a wee bit of something for just about every taste. So let's get started.
Amici's: another of festival artistic director George Soete's pennings. Eric Poppick directs Paul Bourque, Bebe Brodie, Jill Drexler, Christine Huddle, Duane Weekly, and himself in a bit of truth-telling, anger-provoking and just-plain-nasty attitudes. It never ceases to amaze me what spills out of the mouths of alleged friends when they over-imbibe in high octane sauce. Two women (Brodie and Drexler), seated at a table in a lounge, viciously verbalize their antagonism toward the third woman (Huddle) whose only response seems to be "You don't get it!" The men, who when upset with somebody, often resort to whacking the offender, seem determined to end their “friendship” permanently. The cast feels convincingly from New York; the script is fun to listen to.
In Jefferson and PB playwright Gary Warth poses a thoughtful juxtaposition as a founding father addresses some beach dudes. This piece, directed by Dan Bennett, inserts Thomas Jefferson in a Pacific Beach bar populated by a couple of beach dudes and the bartender. The cast includes Dan Evans, Roger Gobin, Dave Rich, and James Steinberg. Wrath's script is well researched. Jefferson maintains the English pronunciation and usage of the time. Characters, all very well delineated, include an insightful bartender, a true beach dude, and a young intellectual. A very interesting study.
Handbag, produced by Allyson Collins and directed by Lisa Berger explores several women's lives through the contents and images of their handbags. The cast, Lisa Berger, Allyson Collins, Sandra Ellis-Troy, Annie Hinton, Li-Anne Rowsell, and Crystal Verdon, all wrote the various monologues. Generally, as one actress does her bit, the others freeze. A search for a checkbook or a credit card in a large bag can be a nightmare. There are thoughts of being Cleopatra on her barge, and one whose principal dialogue is "Kiss my Ass" or some variant of it. The ladies, in black, make the most of a number of black boxes as set pieces.
International Call is written and produced by Madhushree Ghosh with Leslie Ridgeway handling the direction. This piece is a bit slow and somewhat overwritten. It deals with a clash of cultures and generational problems. Mai-Lon Wong plays a mother in India steeped in tradition, which includes arranged marriages. Nick Mata is the son, an inconsiderate son, totally afraid of his mother and the old traditions. While mom is busily trying to arrange a marriage, he is trying to get up the courage to tell her that he is already married. Megan Fonseca plays his Indian wife in the United States as well as a lovely Indian girl in his mother's household. She does a good job of separating her two characters.
Wonderful You bookends Program Three with another George Soete script, which he also directed. Colorfully dressed, colorfully dialoged, two rather strange, clown-like characters have an amusing exchange. Jude Evans, who also produced, and Eric Poppick exchange greetings and a bit more. It brings the night's program to an amusing close.
