[NEohioPAL] Review of Fine Arts Association's One-Act Play Festival "Hot From the Oven"

[Bob Abelman]

FAA's annual 'One-Act' fest tops itself 

 

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 4/27/12

 

The Willoughby Fine Arts Association's annual one-act play festival is now in its 16th year of production.  A frequent highlight of the season, this year's collection of original works has outdone the others.

 

Not only did director and founder Ann Hedger receive a record 693 scripts from over 400 playwrights from 12 countries and 38 U.S. states, but the 11 plays selected for the festival are being performed by one of the strongest ensembles of actors in its history. Dominated by comedies and ranging from stark realism to absurdist fantasy, this nicely diverse group of 10-minute pieces demands a core of talented players to carry it off.  

 

The highlight of the first act is Greg Freier's "Rage Against Nothing."  The flat-out funniest play of the evening, it also boasts the funniest performances, which are turned in by Don Knepper and Paul Felden.  This one-act takes us inside the cars of two men who fear retaliatory fits of road-rage that exist only in their fertile imaginations.  The actors' physicality and their characters' escalating anxiety are hilarious.

 

This piece is immediately followed by the most dramatic play of the evening, "One for My Baby," which is written by yours truly and inspired by Frank Sinatra's version of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's song of the same title.  For obvious reasons, the quality of the play can't be addressed, but the stellar performances by Bob Kilpatrick, as a man of unclear intentions, and Diana Frankhauser, as an angry 16-year-old hitchhiker, are apparent to everyone in attendance. 

 

For those who desire something thought-provoking in an evening of one-acts, Trace Crawford's "An Unfamiliar Waltz" will not disappoint.  Here, three strangers-the wonderful Paul Felden, Nancy Shimonek Brooks, and John Busser-are caught in a surreal encounter when they come upon a seemingly threatening object.  Their debate as to what to do with the object, as well as the stage direction, suggest an intriguing and intricate dance.

 

Rounding out the first act are three additional comedies of varying quality.  The first, Andy Haynes' "Hack," offers a meeting between a playwright, played by Carl Simoncic, and his agent, played by Mark DePompei.  Their reading of a theatrical review cleverly parallels precisely what is happening in this play.  "The Party," a fun but futile skit by Michele Markarian and featuring Nancy Shimonek Brooks and Matthew Mortensen, explores the divide between those who enjoy human interaction and those intrigued by the virtual social networking today's technology has to offer.  Finally, "It Jungle Out There" by John Busser offers a very funny piece of sketch comedy that finds Tarzan, played by Matthew Mortensen, at a dating service in Des Moines, Iowa.


The second act keeps the momentum going thanks to the best player-pairing of the festival.  One-act veterans Mark J. DePompei and Vonnie Pilarczyk team up in Edward Versailles' "The Cat Fanciers," a charming piece about two feline fanatics seeking a suitable mate for their Siamese cats.  DePompei and Pilarczyk have mastered the art of making something out of nothing and turning it into memorable theater.  

 

"Hanging Chad," by Brett Hursey, is a silly but thoroughly enjoyable tale about angry sperm, represented by Don Knepper; dying ova, wonderfully depicted by Nancy Shimonek Brooks; and the couple responsible for them, played by Elvis L. Sverko and Evie Koh.

 

The other three plays in the second act don't quite have the same appeal as the others, but the acting remains solid.  

 

D.J. Sylvis' "No End Boss," which starts the act, is inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit."  It  takes us inside the world of characters who inhabit a videogame.  The play features a very game Brendan Sandham, Sam Portzera and Lincoln Sandham.  "GRTC," by Irene Ziegler, captures a poignant, private moment when a young boy, played by Ben Whitney, attempts to recapture the memory of his mother amidst sympathetic strangers, played by Gail Steindler and Bob Kilpatrick.  The final play, "Who's There" by Gar Godfrey, is an interesting but disjointed piece that offers a running narration of Donald's pathetic life, with Paul Feldman as Donald, Evie Koh as the girl that does not love him, and Shannon L. Sidorick as the narrator. 



Every play is efficiently staged with limited but sufficient production values courtesy of Brett Harris (set and sound), Paul Gatzke (lighting) and Kristen Buchs (costuming).  Director Ann Hedger manages to never repeat herself from play to play or, more impressively, from year to year, and keeps upping the ante with each passing one-act festival.  

 

"Hot From the Oven/ Fresh on Delivery: 16th Annual One-Act Festival" runs through May 5 at the Fine Arts Association's Corning Auditorium, 38660 Mentor Avenue, Willoughby.  For information or tickets, which are $20 to $22, call 440-951-7500 or visit  www.fineartsassociation.org
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