When producing an evening of short plays, several of them award-winners, by a prolific and well-received playwright, one can be fairly certain of the material.� The question then becomes can the actors and directors do justice to the playwright�s work.� In the case of Couples, an evening of short plays by Rich Orloff produced by the WorkShop Theater Company, the answer is a resounding yes.
Couples is comprised of eight short plays, each featuring two characters in a relationship of one form or another dealing with love and desire.� Though there are some missteps along the way, overall the evening is very entertaining.
In the humorous Matterhorn, a husband (Richard Mover) and wife (Wende O�Reilly) visiting the �happiest place on earth� realize that the thing that keeps them together is their loathing of each other.� A cute play with funny, yet realistic, dialogue, it also allows director Philip Emeott to introduce the entire cast of Couples, who are on stage as other theme-park visitors waiting for their turn on the ride.
The second piece, Class Dismissed, is more somber, dealing with the aftermath of a forbidden love affair between a college religion professor (Ken Glickfeld) and one of his students (Jess Cassidy White).� A sad and touching piece, it nevertheless feels a little stilted, as though the actors are having a hard time connecting with their characters.
Lion Tamer, also directed by Philip Emeott, is one of the all-around strongest plays of the evening.� Sexy, funny, and disturbing, it features a verbal tango of seduction between a woman selling her house (Christine Verleny) and a man (Justin R.G. Holcomb) who wants it . . . and her.� Holcomb and Verleny have wonderful chemistry and are well suited to this sly, sexy play.
David Gautschy�s second turn at directing is Afternoon Sun, a sultry play about yearning.� With a loving nod to Tennessee Williams, this play explores an afternoon tryst that was spoiled by an inopportune Gideons� Bible.� Peter Farrell plays the adulterer, Charlie, rather blandly.� Lena Armstrong, however, is remarkable as Rosemary, whose every movement and though seems to radiate heat and longing.
The plays in the second act don�t work quite as well as those in the first.� Heart of the Fire, in which a brother (Vinnie Penna) and sister (Marie-Pierre Beausejour) deal with the approaching death of their mother, is compelling and features well-crafted dialogue, but it seems incomplete, as though part of a larger work that had been excerpted for this play.
Taking on the topics of conservative politics and gay marriage, Oh Happy Day is an interesting and timely piece.� What makes it stand out is the wonderful work by L.B Williams and C.K. Allen.� The two, playing a long-term gay couple, have marvelous chemistry, as well as terrific timing.� Neither strikes a false note in the lovely little play.
The next vignette in this act, Invisible Woman, doesn�t really fit with the rest of the evening�s plays.� Technically featuring two characters, Susanne (Cailin McDonald) and her husband, Bret (Anthony Aibel), it is really Susanne�s monologue sandwiched between a couple of very brief conversations.� Since there is no real give and take between the actors - in fact, during the monologue, Aibel is frozen in place � it is a jarring choice for this show.
Saving the best for last, the evening ends with Right Sensation, a surprisingly charming play about a woman�s first sexual encounter after a mastectomy.� The play is sweet and tender, a true delight.� Jacqueline M. Raposo strikes the right note between anticipation and fear as Paula, a woman torn between her desire and the realities of her altered body.� Michael Anderson is super as the eager but understanding Stewart.� Director Paula D�Alessandris, who also directed Heart of the Fire and Invisible Woman, does a good job with the tentative start-and-stop nature of the encounter.
While one or two of the plays don�t reach their full potential, the cracking dialogue and excellent acting more than makes up for it.� For those who have never experienced Rich Orloff�s work, the WorkShop Theater Company�s production of Couples is an outstanding place to begin.
Writing: 1
Directing: 2
Acting: 2
Sets: 0
Costumes: 1
Lighting/Sound: 1
Copyright 2007 Byrne Harrison
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