[NEohioPAL]Another Rave Review of "All In the Timing"
Mjalexthac at aol.com
Mjalexthac at aol.com
Tue May 9 08:57:04 PDT 2006
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Posted on Sun, May. 07, 2006
Akron Beacon Journal
Ohio.com
Review
`All in the Timing' romps merrily
Comedy at Actors' Summit combines 6 one-act plays, giving avant garde feel
By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer
All in the Timing is an unusually fresh, quirky show that delights at every
turn at Actors' Summit.
Director Neil Thackaberry couldn't have assembled a more talented cast of
vibrant young actors with Sally Groth, Alicia Kahn, Noah Varness and Peter
Voinovich. They play a variety of roles in six plays that were originally
one-acts by contemporary playwright David Ives.
Although those plays were first performed individually from 1987 through
1993, they fit together nicely in All in the Timing for an evening full of
laughs.
This intelligent work has an experimental, avant garde feel, although the
plays aren't brand new. It's satisfying to see Actors' Summit make a departure
from several seasons of relatively ``safe'' play choices to an offbeat comedy
that makes audiences both think and laugh more than usual.
The six comedic sketches don't share a story line or characters, but they all
deal in some way with language as a way of connecting with others. Ives also
plays with our perception of time in most of these pieces.
The sketch ``Sure Thing'' is unexpectedly funny as Kahn and Varness'
characters meet in a cafe for the first time. Every time one of them says something
awkward enough to kill the conversation, a bell rings and they get to start
over again.
Kahn and Varness, the most versatile actors in this show, play off each other
perfectly in this humorous scene, which is all about saying the wrong thing
at the wrong time.
``You have to hit these things at the right moment or it's no good. It's all
in the timing,'' Varness' character, Bill, says.
Kahn, Voinovich and Groth shift to the absurd while playing three chimps in
``Words, Words, Words.'' The chimps are in a lab experiment, locked up with
typewriters until, sooner or later, they produce Hamlet.
Their complaints about writer's block and the gobbledygook they come up with
is priceless, all while they act as each other's writing coaches and eat bugs
off each other. Groth has the best chimp expressions and movements, while
Kahn excels as the militant chimp who's angry about working conditions.
In this scene, it's only supposed to be a matter of time until the chimps
randomly create greatness.
In ``The Universal Language,'' the painfully shy, stuttering Dawn (Groth)
loses her inhibitions by speaking a crazy, made-up language called Unamunda with
Voinovich's con man, Don. This scene's not only a feat of memorization, the
actors make their fake language perfectly understandable.
For example, Don runs the words ``Joe DiMaggio'' together to represent the
French ``cette dommage'' for ``that's a pity.'' And Dawn says ``no crayola!''
for ``I don't believe it!''
Despite its lunacy, this scene also presents some of the play's most poignant
moments.
The most surreal scene is ``Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread,'' where a
split-second moment in time is captured and replayed in a fractured symphony of
language among four characters, including the contemporary composer Glass,
his former lover, her friend, and a baker. The highly unusual piece, perfectly
coordinated among the actors, spoofs Glass' repetitive music and also gets
into the heads of each character during this brief encounter.
Things become truly perverse in ``The Philadelphia,'' which refers to being
stuck in an alternate reality where you must ask for the opposite of what you
want. This act has plenty of irony plus some ad-libbing that pokes fun at
Akron and Cleveland.
The final, ``Variation on the Death of Trotsky,'' plays like a loony
Saturday Night Live sketch, with Varness as the glowering Bolshevik Trotsky sporting
an ax in his skull. Trotsky, obsessed with the time and manner of his death,
goes through a number of alternative endings as his wife (Groth) asks him
absurd questions such as ``Can't you get that through your skull?''
It didn't even matter that the computer running Actors' Summit's lighting
board died opening night and the light changes had to be done manually. The
acting was so excellent and the material so intelligent, this play was
thoroughly entertaining.
_Actors' Summit Theater_
(http://ae.ohio.com/entertainment/ui/ohio/venue.html;jsessionid=66FB252E839D18D59B01B08D904CE998.prodapp15_ae_02?id=2444&pageType=
stage)
86 Owen Brown Street
Hudson, OH 44236
(330) 342-0800
_www.actorssummit.org_ (http://www.actorssummit.org)
Performance times
5/11/06 - 05/14/2006 Thurs, Fri and Sat., 8:00 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Ticket prices; $22 Thurs. & Sun.; $25, Fri. & Sat.. under 18 half price
Call (330) 342-0800 for tickets and information
____________________________________
Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail at
_kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com_ (mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com) .
(http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/ohio.entertainment/entertainment;c2=entertainment_homepage;template=article;!category=entertainment;pos=bottom;group=234x60
;sz=234x60;ord=1147189718802?)
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<DIV>
<DIV class=3Darticle_timestamp>Posted on Sun, May. 07, 2006 </DIV>
<DIV class=3Darticle_timestamp><STRONG><FONT size=3D3>Akron Beacon=20
Journal</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV class=3Darticle_timestamp>Ohio.com </DIV>
<DIV class=3Darticle_tools>
<DIV class=3Ddivclear></DIV>
<H4>Review</H4>
<H1>`All in the Timing' romps merrily</H1>
<H2>Comedy at Actors' Summit combines 6 one-act plays, giving avant garde=20
feel</H2>
<H5>By Kerry Clawson</H5>
<H6>Beacon Journal staff writer</H6>
<DIV id=3Darticle_related>
<DIV></DIV></DIV>
<P><I>All in the Timing </I>is an unusually fresh, quirky show that delights=
at=20
every turn at Actors' Summit.</P>
<P>Director Neil Thackaberry couldn't have assembled a more talented cast of=
=20
vibrant young actors with Sally Groth, Alicia Kahn, Noah Varness and Peter=20
Voinovich. They play a variety of roles in six plays that were originally=20
one-acts by contemporary playwright David Ives.</P>
<P>Although those plays were first performed individually from 1987 through=20
1993, they fit together nicely in <I>All in the Timing </I>for an evening fu=
ll=20
of laughs.</P>
<P>This intelligent work has an experimental, avant garde feel, although the=
=20
plays aren't brand new. It's satisfying to see Actors' Summit make a departu=
re=20
from several seasons of relatively ``safe'' play choices to an offbeat comed=
y=20
that makes audiences both think and laugh more than usual.</P>
<P>The six comedic sketches don't share a story line or characters, but they=
all=20
deal in some way with language as a way of connecting with others. Ives also=
=20
plays with our perception of time in most of these pieces.</P>
<P>The sketch ``Sure Thing'' is unexpectedly funny as Kahn and Varness'=20
characters meet in a cafe for the first time. Every time one of them says=20
something awkward enough to kill the conversation, a bell rings and they get=
to=20
start over again.</P>
<P>Kahn and Varness, the most versatile actors in this show, play off each o=
ther=20
perfectly in this humorous scene, which is all about saying the wrong thing=20=
at=20
the wrong time.</P>
<P>``You have to hit these things at the right moment or it's no good. It's=20=
all=20
in the timing,'' Varness' character, Bill, says.</P>
<P>Kahn, Voinovich and Groth shift to the absurd while playing three chimps=20=
in=20
``Words, Words, Words.'' The chimps are in a lab experiment, locked up with=20
typewriters until, sooner or later, they produce <I>Hamlet.</I></P>
<P>Their complaints about writer's block and the gobbledygook they come up w=
ith=20
is priceless, all while they act as each other's writing coaches and eat bug=
s=20
off each other. Groth has the best chimp expressions and movements, while Ka=
hn=20
excels as the militant chimp who's angry about working conditions.</P>
<P>In this scene, it's only supposed to be a matter of time until the chimps=
=20
randomly create greatness.</P>
<P>In ``The Universal Language,'' the painfully shy, stuttering Dawn (Groth)=
=20
loses her inhibitions by speaking a crazy, made-up language called Unamunda=20=
with=20
Voinovich's con man, Don. This scene's not only a feat of memorization, the=20
actors make their fake language perfectly understandable.</P>
<P>For example, Don runs the words ``Joe DiMaggio'' together to represent th=
e=20
French ``<I>cette dommage</I>'' for ``that's a pity.'' And Dawn says ``no=20
crayola!'' for ``I don't believe it!''</P>
<P>Despite its lunacy, this scene also presents some of the play's most poig=
nant=20
moments.</P>
<P>The most surreal scene is ``Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread,'' where a=
=20
split-second moment in time is captured and replayed in a fractured symphony=
of=20
language among four characters, including the contemporary composer Glass, h=
is=20
former lover, her friend, and a baker. The highly unusual piece, perfectly=20
coordinated among the actors, spoofs Glass' repetitive music and also gets i=
nto=20
the heads of each character during this brief encounter.</P>
<P>Things become truly perverse in ``The Philadelphia,'' which refers to bei=
ng=20
stuck in an alternate reality where you must ask for the opposite of what yo=
u=20
want. This act has plenty of irony plus some ad-libbing that pokes fun at Ak=
ron=20
and Cleveland.</P>
<P>The final, ``Variation on the Death of Trotsky,'' plays like a loony=20
<I>Saturday Night Live </I>sketch, with Varness as the glowering Bolshevik=20
Trotsky sporting an ax in his skull. Trotsky, obsessed with the time and man=
ner=20
of his death, goes through a number of alternative endings as his wife (Grot=
h)=20
asks him absurd questions such as ``Can't you get that through your skull?''=
</P>
<P>It didn't even matter that the computer running Actors' Summit's lighting=
=20
board died opening night and the light changes had to be done manually. The=20
acting was so excellent and the material so intelligent, this play was=20
thoroughly entertaining.</P>
<P><B><A=20
href=3D"http://ae.ohio.com/entertainment/ui/ohio/venue.html;jsessionid=3D66F=
B252E839D18D59B01B08D904CE998.prodapp15_ae_02?id=3D2444&pageType=3Dstage=
">Actors'=20
Summit Theater</A></B><BR>86 Owen Brown Street <BR>Hudson, OH 44236 <BR>(330=
)=20
342-0800 <BR><A href=3D"http://www.actorssummit.org">www.actorssummit.org</A=
></P>
<P><B>Performance times</B><BR><STRONG>5/11/06</STRONG> - 05/14/2006 Th=
urs,=20
Fri and Sat., 8:00 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m. </P>
<P><B>Ticket prices</B>; $22 Thurs. & Sun.; $25, Fri. & Sat.. under=20=
18=20
half price Call (330) 342-0800 for tickets and information </P><!-- en=
d body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->
<DIV class=3Dbody-end>
<DIV class=3Dtagline> </DIV>
<DIV class=3Dtagline>
<HR class=3Dtagline color=3D#cccccc SIZE=3D1>
<I><SPAN class=3Dtagline>Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at=20
330-996-3527 or by e-mail at <A=20
href=3D"mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com">kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com<=
/A>.</SPAN></I>=20
</DIV></DIV><!-- end body-end -->
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