[NEohioPAL] Berko review: THE RECEPTIONIST and H.R. (Dobama)

[Roy Berko]

Two appealing
theatre experiences for the price of one at Dobama
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--
 
Lorain
County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times  
 
 
When Dobama
Theatre decided to produce Adam Bock’s short script ‘THE RECEPTIONIST,’ they
agreed that a “matching” piece might be of interest and complete the
evening.  They commissioned local
playwright Eric Coble to create the material.  The result?  ‘H.R.’  
 
The match
works wonderfully.  Both showings
have humor.  One has a 2010 twist,
the other harks back to the paranoid days of Bush and Chaney’s searching for
the “bad” guys.
 
‘THE
RECEPTIONIST,’ which is set in a unknown office.  On the wall is a large seal that kind of looks like the CIA,
or it could be the FBI, or Homeland Security.  Hmmm!   Chit chat between the receptionist and a female employee centers on
dating and family issues.  Mr.
Raymond, the boss hasn’t shown up yet.  What’s he the boss of?   Hmmm!  When he arrives he
looks flustered and rattles on about broken fingers and wire in eyes.  Hmmm!  Someone from the Central Office shows up and takes Mr.
Raymond away.  Why?  Hmmm!   
 
I’m not going
to tell you any more other than that except that when the lights went out at the end of ‘THE
RECEPTIONIST,’ in  a too real sense
I thought I might never feel safe again.  I also appreciated that the present President’s name is Obama and not
Bush.
 
My feelings weren’t
echoed by at least one attendee who, at the conclusion, loudly stated, “What’s
with the end?  Did the playwright
just run out of words?  Nope, he just
wanted you to think about what went on in our all too recent past, when there
were ever present years of seeking out the hidden enemy by the likes of Cheney
and Rumsfeld.
 
The well directed
production, under the watchful eye of Joel Hammer, was appropriately
under-paced.  It lolled the
audience into humorous complacency until the bombshell went off.  And, even that bombshell was wisely
underplayed!  All of the actors,
Jennifer Kika, Michael Regnier, Tom Woodward and Lissy Gulick, who are the same
cast who appeared in ‘H.R.’ developed their roles well in both ends of the twin
bill.  
 
‘H.R.’ is as modern as
today.  In this age of downsizing
and firings, the fear of the unknown invades any office when H.R. (Human
Resources) says its coming to talk to the staff.  
 
Writing in the style of
true farce, Coble penned a hysterically funny script, full of overblown
characters, each one with a secret to hide, which are revealed through slips of
the tongue and acting double-takes.  This is one fun piece of theatre.
 
Director Joe Verciglio
has nicely paced the goings-on so that all the overblown farce comes out
clearly.  The character
developments are on target and each actor has a nice image of who s/he is.  
 
Michael Roech’s office
set, which is used for both plays, was so realistic that before the opening
night performance, a member of the audience wandered into the thrust stage area
and took a drink from the water cooler, while another took some candy out of a
bowl on a secretary’s desk.  Talk
about realism.
 
CAPSULE
JUDGEMENT:   ‘THE
RECEPTIONIST’ plus ‘H.R.’ deserved the positive reaction given to them by the
opening night sold out audience.  This is a good evening of theatre which contains both laughter and
intrigue.
 The dual production runs through April 5 at Pilgrim Congregational
Church in Tremont.  Showings are
Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 and Sundays at 2:30.  For tickets, which are $8-$22, call
216-932-3396 and leave a message or go on-line at  www.ticketleap.com. 

 Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2009, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info

His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to subscribe visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)