Spring 2008 Eatest: Series B

Emerging Artists Theatre returns with another installment of 10 one-act plays that are "character driven....with unusual subjects and settings with a twist" for their annual Spring Eatfest. However, not all of the pieces fall within that parameter in Series B, a round-up of shorts that include inflatable rafts, sadomasochism, impotence, and onions.

Photos by Erica Parise

Scott Klavan and Elizabeth A. Bell in Islands of Repair

The performance begins with Leslie Bramm's Islands of Repair, an Open Water-type drama without the impression of doom. An unhappily married couple find themselves stranded in an inflatable raft encircled by sharks when a hurricane sinks their chartered boat. Simply referred to as Man (Scott Klavan) and Woman (Elizabeth A. Bell), the couple's constant trivial arguments that sometimes meander off the course of the premise kills any chance for the audience to believe that they're in real danger, despite a valiant effort from the actors to veer their bodies to and fro and good lighting and sound effects. Although some of the dialogue is witty, the actors barrel through it without giving their predicament a nod. Occasionally, they also barrel through plot development. One minute, they're beating back sharks, the next minute, they're attracting a seafood dinner with bait without any progression in between. Don't sharks take bait, too? Despite some funny moments such as the Woman paying the phone bill while adrift, the play goes on too long and doesn't maintain interest. And although the couple come to an understanding by "seeing" each other during their last moments, what the audience sees isn't believable. They can cup air out of the raft all they want, but their impending death doesn't resonate. Islands of Repair may have an unusual setting, but it's overly ambitious. The script and the production elements need a second look before we can get on board.

Ashley Green, Irene Longshore and Ron Bopst in Love, Me (Margaret)

Mousy and depressed Margaret (Irene Longshore) seeks love through asphyxiation in Jennie Contuzzi's Love, Me (Margaret). Her co-worker Louis (Ashley Green) is trying to give it to her the serene way, but she prefers her former teacher and current prayer partner Harry's (Ron Bopst) brand. While Harry is serving time for strangling his wife, Margaret visits to pray and pry about the particulars of his crime, falling in love with the idea of killing for love. After many relationships that resulted in her abandonment, Margaret wants the ultimate sign of devotion: tight hands around her neck. And she won't truly believe that Louis cares for her until he's willing to keep squeezing. Although Contuzzi's finds a compelling way to talk about masochism and hint at its roots, the dialogue is often stilted and rambling. The scene changes are fluid, with actors coming in to set up while others depart, but sometimes it's hard to discern where a scene ends and another begins. Love, Me (Margaret) is a twisted, slightly creepy story of a girl with an impoverished spirit, but the progression from heartbroken to dysfunctional makes sense. It may be a scary road, but Contuzzi does a good job of leading Margaret and the audience down the path.

The Letter's Marc Castle, Shaun Bennett Wilson and Cash Tilton

Series B lightens up in content and mood with Chuck Rose's The Letter, a comedy about a powerful executive's loneliness and inept social skills. When Arnold (Cash Tilton) is too awkward to ask Rebecca Foyt (Shaun Bennett Wilson) out to dinner, his presumptuous and feisty assistant Martin (Marc Castle) dishes out advice and strategies. Martin talks Arnold into writing Rebecca an email about his intentions. Unfortunately, Martin's proofreading skills are not up to snuff, and he winds up making a mildly funny, but important mistake that allows the two executives to be candid with each other. Although Castle's performance is slightly over the top, he is the one to watch in this performance. He's saucy and sassy, and embraces the role of the meddling assistant well. The fluffy script has its humorous moments, but unfortunately, also has flat and predictable ones. Of all the plays, it's the least successful in fulfilling the mission of Eatfest, but it's a welcome change in the aura of the production.

Ron Bopst and Vivian Meisner in Onions

Finally, the crowning achievement of Series B is FJ Hartland's Onions, the story of the fulfillment of a dying man's wish. When Aaron (Ron Bopst) learns that he only has a few days to live, the only thing he wants is to be held in his mother Dinah's (Vivian Meisner) arms, like she's done so many times before. But he has two problems: Hazel (Hershey Miller), the wise-cracking nurse that won't let him see her past visiting hours at the nursing home, and the advanced dementia that's taking over his mother. But where there's a will, there's a difficult way, and through persuasion and desperation, Aaron is able to bypass both. Despite the veneer of cheesiness, Onions is a touching spectacle of the need for a connection, even if it's brief. The whole cast is exceptional, but Bopst deserves a special mention for being completely unrecognizable from Love, Me (Margaret)'s Harry to Aaron here; he's a chameleon, indeed.

Series B is a good mix of varying material that may satisfy different tastes, but doesn't wholly meet the standards of Eatfest. Some are unusual, but don't have a twist. Some are character-driven, but aren't unusual. Though the work is not always successful, Emerging Artists Theatre consistently releases new voices into the off-off broadway market that will be heard. That alone is a wonderful contribution.

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Through May 4th. Tickets: $18. https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/453 Roy Arias Theatre Center, 300 West 43rd Street, 5th floor, NY, NY 10036