NEW YORK—Series C, the last of the three series of EST's 2008 one-act Marathon, demonstrates a great range in content.
Frank D. Gilroy's "Piscary" shows a young about-to-be-married couple re-examining their relationship. A fish tank and a game of Scrabble will determine the future of the couple, nicely played by Mark Alhadeff and Diane Davis, and well directed by Janet Zarish. The finally revealed meaning of the title ties everything up neatly in this entertaining serio-comic piece.
A delightfully nutty comedy, Lewis Black's "In Between Songs" has a couple plus a male friend spending the evening getting stoned as they listen to a Bob Dylan recording. It's remarkable how logical they all seem to one another, while the (sober and superior) audience members split their sides laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. I particularly loved how guest Ed (David Wohl) seriously studied the rug beneath his stockinged feet as he trudged to the kitchen, and how Grace (Cecelia DeWolf) enthusiastically wolfed down a potful of what appeared to be some inedible mess while her husband Chaz (Jack Gilpin) looked on in amazement. Director Rebecca Nelson paced the proceedings effectively.
Jose Rivera's "Flowers" appears to offer more than simply surface meaning, as the adolescent Lulu (Flora Diaz) comes down with the most improbable case of acne that her brother Beto (Raul Castillo) or anyone else, for that matter, has ever seen. Growths, almost plantlike, sprout all over her face, and the siblings are worried sick. Finally, Lulu may be leaving the animal kingdom altogether, to take her place on some other plane. But isn't that what happens to all of us, eventually, the playwright may be asking? The piece is unusual, poetic, and thought-provoking under Linsay Firman's direction.
What might be termed a miniplay, the longest presentation of the evening is Michael Feingold's "Japanoir," inspired by a love for Japanese movies. As the playwright is also chief theater critic for "The Village Voice "and a respected translator, he, perhaps more than any other playwright of the evening, is "under the gun" to deliver. The result is tantalizing, although to this observer, not always clear.
Interspersed throughout the work, an interviewer (Leslie Ayvazian) talks to a director or several directors regarding their views on film and various Japanese master filmmakers, including Kurosawa and Ozu. Also presented are various scenes from a pair of films being shot, with crime and/or passion taking center stage. These are apparently black-and-white films, for the actors all wear dark suits or black dresses.
Under Richard Hamburger's direction, the numerous set changes of this provocative piece take place effectively in silhouette, creating a dreamlike or cinematic feeling.
Jacquelyn Reingold's "A Very Very Short Play" features two airline passengers. Joan (Julie Fitzpatrick) a one-foot-tall woman, just wanting to read, has her resistance eventually worn down by the persistent Roger (Adam Dannheisser), a 12–foot-8-inch-tall lawyer. By the end, it appears that they may almost float away together, in this sweetly romantic fantasy directed by Jonathan Bernstein.
The simple but serviceable sets are all designed by Maiko Chii.
Marathon C
Ensemble Studio Theatre
549 West 52 Street
Tickets: (212) 352-3101
or www.TheaterMania.com
Closes June 28
Diana Barth writes and publishes "New Millennium," an arts newsletter. For information: diabarth@juno.com
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