In Vital Theatre's
Vital Signs, Series One, the emphasis was placed firmly on the impossibility of relationships of all stripes. The work of four emerging playwrights was showcased in presentations that ranged from the dour and depressing to the mesmerizing and charming.Night Night, by Andrea Lepcio, was a rumination of a relationship so doomed that it was obvious to the audience before the lights were fully up. It was statically directed by Linda Cholodenko and performed with annoying faithfulness by Adrienne Hurd and Laurelle Rethke.
In Taylor Bowyer's even more obvious The Levee, a working-class man and his career-driven wife contemplate the repercussions of parenthood. Mark Parees directed with a sledgehammer, and while Al Hasnas was engaging as the decent but confused husband, Denise Joughlin Casey was so shrewish and unlikable as the wife that any sympathy for the couple and their problems was virtually impossible to muster.
Raspberries, by Robin Rothstein, chronicled a youthful couple facing the future of their relationship after a car wreck leaves the woman paralyzed from the neck down. Beautifully directed by Thomas Cote, it was the strongest piece of the evening. If at times it was a little too reminiscent of Whose Life Is It Anyway, it was so well acted and all of a piece that any reservations would seem like carping. Dennis Kyriakos and particularly Gerry Sanseviero, restricted to using only her voice and head movements for effect, were superb.
Hole was probably the most original piece of the evening, and second only to Raspberries for overall excellence. Humorously directed by Alex Timbers, Kyle Jarrow's surreal tale of a husband's fantastic secret life was buoyed by the charming B. Brian Argotsinger as a Walter Mitty-like spouse. It was easy to understand why he would want to escape his shrieking, over-the-top partner, played by a shrieking, over-the-top Leslie Klug, any way he could.
Production values were standard issue, although the pure ungelled lighting for Raspberries added to that work's intensity, while the costumes and props for Hole gave it an extra layer of humor.
(Set by Michael Schoegl and Jane Shepard; Technical Consultant: Ted Stearns; Production Coordinator: Rene Ragan.)
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Copyright 2002 Doug DeVita