Director Keith Bridges has taken a newly
commissioned work by locally acclaimed playwrights Allyson Currin and Chris
Stezin and provided an agreeable opportunity for his eight member Actors
Repertory Theatre cast to present themselves to an audience. Seeing this
production could be the boisterous part of a delightful early winter evening
in upper Georgetown for those who decide to have a nice early evening
dinner, a glass of good wine, a warm espresso with a rich dessert and then
walk a couple of blocks to the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and
enjoy professional quality theater for free, and then head off for some
aperitifs. You will be in for a rowdy ride of very broad earthy comedy,
including burlesque style bad manners, a very potty mouth mother, a horny
step father, a bride-to-be who would rather turn on a battery powered toy
than presume a man will please her, a sock puppet, a salt and pepper set of
brothers, and a groom who likes the feminine side of things; all with enough
cultural references to top
Avenue Q.
Storyline: A bride who comes unhinged after drinking 13 beers and takes
on all comers including a mysteriously impaled donkey on a fence and the
Goodyear blimp. Her manners come from living in a family with a way-to-close
step father, a mother who out curses like a drunken sailor and a set of brothers
seeking their redeeming values along with a rather gamine choice for a
groom. Oh, the power bar, that was her only meal of the day.
Currin and Stezin are to be commended for
developing Thirteen Beers and a Power Bar for the advanced acting
students of the Actors Repertory Theatre. The two playwrights are providing
what DC area new theater professionals with the requisite skills need -- the
opportunity to go full out in a new work. The actors have an opportunity to
find themselves in totally new characters, unmuddled by anyone’s previous
work, with a spotlight on them and an audience before them always critiquing
by giving or withholding love, attention and applause. The one act
developed by Currin and Stezin is a highly frenetic frolic … with no
redeeming value whatsoever other than to be performed before an audience that can laugh
at crude, rude, indecent vulgarities spewed forth from unexpected mouths.
It has a very earthy text with choice lines such as a mother named Medea telling
her son to “go fail with pathetic nobility.” There are visions such as the
not yet outed gay groom-to-be smelling a shirt straight out of Brokeback
Mountain, and a cast member who is the image of Mr. Barnes from The
Simpsons licking his lips and groping his step daughter every chance he
gets. Plot…well maybe somewhere there is one, but it is of no real meaning
to any visceral enjoyment of this style evening. Did I say there are musical
interludes from a guitar playing, dope smoking, hippy-dippy minister?
Director Keith Bridges has created a showcase
for his eight cast members. He makes sure that each has both center stage
and an opportunity to be part of the ensemble. The cast members seem to
enjoy the experience. They may be raw in talent, but they do span the real
life ages of their characters; this is not just a cast of beautiful, nubile
women and buff, virile men. Several in the cast are worthy of attention for
their capacity to deliver lines with a richer range of emotions and more
advanced movement. These include Roger Payano (Lester-the “pepper” brother)
who presents a range of facial gestures to go along with nuanced line
delivery, Vanessa Bradchulis (the bride) who works with total infectious
abandon, and Karl Bittner (the groom) who presents a fuller range as he
moves to finally out himself to the pleasure of his bride-to-be. Remember,
you may be seeing a future Helen Hayes award winner in this cast, give them
all your attention.
The technical work for the production is what
it needs to be given the circumstances of the basement space. That means a
very a minimal set, some stage lighting, some helpful sound effects, with the
most significant theatrical addition being the props which will remind all
too many of their college days beer parties.
Written by Allyson Currin and Chris Stezin.
Directed by Keith Bridges. Design: Doug Wilder (set and lights) Katie
Mattingly (costumes) Kristy Matero (stage manager). Cast: Peter Bertoncini, Karl
Bittner, Vanessa Bradchulies, Roger Payano, Dane C. Petersen, Lynn Ritland,
Kimberly Simpson, Daniel Steinberg. |
