[NEohioPAL] Review of "Miss Abigail" at 14th St. Theatre

[Bob Abelman]

'Miss Abigail' is an intoxicating concoction, but not in a good way

 

Bob Abelman

 

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,

The Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier

Member, American Theatre Critics Association 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 2/17/12

 

 

As they were leaving the opening night performance of "Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage," on tour and currently playing at the 14th St. Theatre, several patrons noted that it was every bit as entertaining as anything found on the grander, adjacent PlayhouseSquare stages. 

 

And then their designated driver pulled up.  Under more sober scrutiny, "Miss Abigail" is significantly less attractive. 

 

Written by Sarah Saltzberg, an actress with little writing experience, and Ken Davenport, a producer with even less, "Miss Abigail" is a mediocre piece of sketch comedy that is relentlessly stretched beyond the breaking point.  Worse, it is a mediocre production of mediocre sketch comedy, complete with an amateurish hanging backdrop depicting a fully-stocked bookshelf, an overstuffed couch as the primary set piece, and frequently missed lighting and sound cues.

 

Based on real-life advice columnist and blogger Abigail Grotke, this audience-interactive one-act features the fictitious Miss Abigail, a much sought-after relationship expert to the stars. 

 

For 80 minutes, she and her Mexican assistant, Paco, do a Dr. Phil on dating, mating and marriage.  The conventional wisdom and the frequent giveaway items she offers have been extracted from the antiquated advice books she has collected, which are piled around the stage and from which she reads throughout the performance.  A running gag that keeps on gagging is that, despite her expertise, matronly Miss Abigail is oblivious to young Paco's increasingly obvious romantic overtures.

 

Because the scripted material is woefully thin, the quality of each performance of "Miss Abigail" is in direct proportion to the outrageousness and disinhibition of its audience, which is facilitated by the well-stocked bar that doubles as the theater's entrance way.  One's enjoyment of the show, it seems, is also proportional to time spent replenishing fluids in the lobby.  

 

A sadly alluring aspect of the original Off-Broadway version of this show is that pseudo-celebrities from yesteryear have been brought in to play Abigail, including Eve Plumb (Jan Brady on TV's "The Brady Bunch") and Joyce DeWitt (Janet on TV's "Three's Company").  

 

The traveling show features the perfectly charming but less-known actress Laurie Birmingham as Abigail.  Playing Paco is a very likable Gabriel Gutierrez, who has few professional credits to his name.  Both do fine with what they are given and keep the pace brisk despite the awkward technical missteps, but they stumble when improvisation is called for, which is often.  

 

There is clearly a market for this girls-night-out brand of innocuous, participatory entertainment.  After all, this theater offered "Dixie's Tupperware Party" in 2009 as well as a 5-week return engagement in 2010.  A decade ago, the Hanna Theatre next door hosted "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" for two years running.  

 

But if you like your theater viewed from a seat rather than from the stage and prefer to be stone-cold sober during the performance, perhaps one of the other offerings at PlayhouseSquare will be more to your liking.

 

"Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage" runs through February 12 at the 14th Street Theatre, PlayhouseSquare.  For tickets, which range from $10-$35, call (216) 241-6000 or visit www.playhousesquare.org.
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