A very enjoyable evening of solo
performance work came in the form of Double
Occupancy. The performance comprised two one-acts, beginning with Bodhichitta, written and performed by
Sidse Ploug Soerensen. The piece explored three different delusional women. The
humor in the piece came chiefly from the three characters’ unalterable belief
in their abilities, while revealing how inept they were in reality. One woman
is intent on adopting Indian orphans. She is unable to host a successful
karaoke night fundraiser on behalf of the orphans. Another character, Cookie,
was kidded as a child by her father that she was “such an actress.” Cookie
takes this to mean that she should pursue an acting career rather than temper
an overly dramatic personality. Cookie tells us of her drama-school
experiences, performs her interpretive dances for us and exhibits herself as
yet another delusional person, clueless to the realities of her life. The third
character makes life plans by the Zodiac and aspires to be a writer. She is
able to excuse her publishing shortcomings by the shift of the planets.
Eventually the three women come together as Cookie organizes a benefit in
collaboration with the two other women and each character gets a small taste of
personal achievement. It is a happy ending of sorts, and the actress was able
to give a comic performance while allowing us to sympathize with her subjects
and root for their small success. The characters were nicely delineated in
manner, voice and simple costume changes, and the piece was filled with variety
and a good sense of pace.
Faulty: Hitch was
concerned with a woman who is obsessed with getting a perfect score on the SAT.
When she does, she laminates the test with the winning score and keeps it on
her person to show anyone at a moment’s notice. This is an extremely eccentric
character who has difficulty relating to others. Her self-worth is based solely
on her test scores, for how else, she wonders, can she assess herself? She
meets a nice fellow on a cruise and they share a table at dinner. The evening
goes well, even after displaying her test-score obsession, and the two dance
the night away. The next day she is doubtful of his true interest in her and
stands up a breakfast date to hide in a lifeboat and contemplate her life. She
has a revealing and humorous conversation with her inner self before getting
knocked unconscious from a shuffleboard accident. She wakes up in a hospital
with her estranged son by her side. Wendy Herlich brought the quirky character
to life with entertaining results, and the character’s final analysis was
touching.
Director Virginia Scott made good use
of a small space, using the theater to maximum potential. Carter Edwards
designed lights and sound with the sound aspect enhancing the plays well. No
credit was given for costumes, but the design was thoughtful and went a long
way to defining character. The two plays complemented each other nicely and
made for a solid tour de force for both actresses.
Writing: 2
Directing: 2
Acting: 2
Set: 0
Costumes: 2
Lighting: 0/Sound: 2
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Copyright 2006 Michael D. Jackson