[NEohioPAL]Berko review: T.I.D.Y. (Beck Center)

[Roy Berko]

‘T.I.D.Y.’ has some funny moments at Beck


Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

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Eric Coble, considered by many to be the local
playwright laureate, has hit the big time.  He’s an
entry in ‘Wikipedia,’ the on-line encyclopedia.  You
can also probe him for personal information on
‘Answers.com.’  Theatre Communications Group honored
him in their article “Seven Playwrights to Watch.”

Coble, whose newest play ‘T.I.D.Y.’ is being staged at
Beck Center, is a member of the Playwrights' Unit of
the Cleveland Play House.  His past works include:  
‘TEN MINUTES FROM CLEVELAND’ (which premiered at
Dobama Theater), ‘SOUND BITING,’ ‘ISOLATED INCIDENTS,’
‘BRIGHT IDEAS’ (which had a New York off Broadway
production, as well as a Cleveland run), ‘PINOCCHIO
3.5,’ ‘CINDERELLA CONFIDENTIAL,’ ‘SACAGAWEA,’ ‘VIRTUAL
DEVOTION,’ ‘TRUTH: THE TESTIMONIAL OF SOJOURNER
TRUTH,’ ‘IN A GROVE: FOUR JAPANESE GHOST STORIES,’ and
‘NIGHTFALL WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE.’

Coble, who has an affinity for storytelling, often
displays a wonderful spirited creativity.  Some of
this may have come from his upbringing on the Navaho
and Ute reservations of New Mexico and Colorado where
he spent time wandering around in what he once
described as an “Indiana Jones setting,” which
encouraged his imagination to run wild. 

Anyone who has seen Coble’s ‘BRIGHT IDEAS,’ which
tells the tale of parents who will stop at nothing to
enroll their child in the “perfect” preschool,
realizes his off-the-wall thought processes and an
ability to play with words.

Coble often turns to classic sources as well as fairy
tales and social issues and political intrigue for his
inspiration.  ‘T.I.D.Y.’ has a conspiracy base, which
works perfectly in this year’s political atmosphere of
who outed an FBI agent, was the public misled by G. W.
Bush’s “evil empire” and the neo-cons about the
existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or
their tie to the terrorism that destroyed the World
Trade Center.

The basic story centers on Emily Danbert, a computer
geek, whose quiet life is totally thrown into chaos
when T.I.D.Y., a program she developed, becomes the
center of a global conspiracy.  Matters really get out
of hand when her “sweet” old mother, her husband, her
best friend and a mysterious confident all get
involved in the intrigue.

The concept is a delight.   Unfortunately, the play
and the production don’t live up to the premise. 
Though filled with some delightful moments, the play’s
pieces-parts don’t always flow together well.  There
are segments where the action zooms right along,
others where there are lulls.  Some of the problem
lies with director Roger Truesdell, who has paced the
production much too slowly.  This has to be a Marx
Brothers romp, a farce on speed.  Instead, we get a
car race followed by a pony trot, followed by
acceleration, and then more plodding.

The cast is generally excellent.  Sarah Morton
develops a nice textured roll as the obsessive
compulsive left-brained nerd whose personal and
professional life lacks much excitement until she
becomes the center of an international conspiracy
plot.  Kevin Joseph Kelly plays multi-roles with comic
delight.  His highlight is a portrayal of an ice cream
salesman who can hardly contain his exasperation while
Morton’s character continually changes her order. 
Rhoda Rosen, as the mother turned international hit
man, is hysterical.  She gives a perfect Ethel Mertz
impersonation.  Nicholas Koesters makes for a fine
ex-husband trying hard to come back into his former
wife’s life.  Tracey Field could have had more fun and
exaggerated her role of the mysterious confident, as
could have Alison Garrigan as the friendly fellow
worker turned bad.

Don McBride’s multi-level set design basically works,
but the constant need to move furniture around slowed
down the show’s pace.

As the program states, “Anyone in the United Sates
today who isn’t paranoid must be crazy.”  After
watching ‘T.I.D.Y’ you’ll be even more paranoid.  Or,
as the bumper sticker on my car says, “If you aren’t
appalled, you haven’t been paying attention.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  ‘T.I.D.Y.’ isn’t up to Coble’s
‘BRIGHT IDEAS,’ but it has some good laughs.  Too bad
both the script and pacing couldn’t have had a little
more “oomph.”

For tickets to ‘T.I.D.Y.’ which runs through December
18 at the Beck Center for the Arts, call 216-521-2540.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


	
		
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