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Tasty Fare
by Julie Sharbutt
EATFest reviewed April 12, 2005
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As different as they are delightful, the new plays that are part of EATFest: Spring 2005 make a strong showing. The festival's first selections, those of Series A, range in theme from an estranged middle-aged couple sharing a holiday in a hostile, Third World vacation spot, to a young girl trying to connect with her parents at her greatest moment of fear and separation, to a zany look at the dating destiny of a gay man at 40.
Though varying in theme and tone, what the plays share is a vein of sweet and sad acceptance. With humor, irony, and sensitivity, each is touching and unique.
In the first, Foreign Bodies, it is clear from the start that Victoria and Maz are incapable of leaving behind memories of their cold British lives long enough to enjoy the first moments of their holiday abroad. In fact, the extremes to which they go, popping "harmony pills" to forget their dreary home life, numb them to the point of oblivion.
Written by Andrew Biss and directed by Dylan McCullough, Foreign Bodies is a gleefully dire, tongue-in-cheek look at how we lose our perceptiveness the more we try to smooth out the edges of our lives and relationships. Kurt Kingsley as Max and Laura Fois as Victoria are sharp and very funny as their characters, wide-eyed and unconcerned, banter casually and eventually turn a blind eye to imminent dangers.
In Asteroid Belt, Carly, a young college student on her way home from a play rehearsal, realizes in the play's opening minutes that she is about to die in a car accident. In that moment, she attempts to logically reflect on the illogical elements that placed her in such danger. In doing so, she also tries to connect with her parents by following them in spirit through the routine of worrying about the late-night whereabouts of their child.
Writer Lauren Feldman creates impressively touching characters with her simple use of detail. Carly's father, Jay (Sam Sagenkahn), tries to distract his anxious wife, Sue (Valerie David), by poking fun at her dislike of Mary Higgins Clark. And Carly reflects that she is ill equipped to handle her accident because she was "never good at spontaneity," and that if she had been, she would have gone into "firefighting...or improv."
Directed by Caden Hethorn, these characters all come to life with warmth and realism, particularly Carly (Rachel Eve Moses), who gives the most affecting performance of the evening.
The final play, Invisible, written by Marc Castle and directed by Mark Finley, is the most absurd and the most fun. In a gay nightclub, Jerry (Jack Garrity), who has just turned 40, is perplexed when his advances on younger men are worse than ignored—they are unnoticed. With the guidance of his friend Ben (Bill Reinking), he comes to realize that 40 is the stamped expiration date for being a sexy, young single man. It is a mild, funny satire about social aging reinvented by a lively, charming cast.
All the plays in of Series A of EATFest delight in their own way. In particular, Bill Pollock's scenic design and Stephen Sakowski's lighting design utilize the small space in clever and versatile ways. Whether the characters are poking fun at themselves or longing for the connections they wish they had, their brief stories are moving and enjoyable.
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Emerging Artists Theatre
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Category: Festival
Written by: Andrew Biss, Lauren Feldman, Marc Castle, Kevin Drzakowski, Ry Herman, Gregory Fletcher, Kerri Kochanski, Sheldon Senek
Directed by: Paul Adams
Produced by: Emerging Artists Theatre
Opened: March 29, 2005
Closed: April 22, 2005
Running Time: 90 minutes
Theater: Emerging Artists Theatre
Address: 432 West 42nd Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10036
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Tickets: $15.00
Student Rush $10.00
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Creative Team
Written by: Andrew Biss, Lauren Feldman, Marc Castle
Directed by: Dylan McCullough, Caden Hethorn, Mark Finley
Produced by: Emerging Artists Theatre
Light Designer: Stephen Sakowski
Sound Designer: Aaron David Blank
Set Designer: Bill Pollock
Costume Designer: Melanie Blythe
Cast
Laura Fois as Victoria
Kurt Kingsley as Max
Valerie David as Sue
Rachel Eve Moses as Carly
Sam Sagenkahn as Jay
Ryan Berit as Young Man
Neil W. Garguilo as Young Man
Jack Garrity as Jerry
Bill Reinking as Ben
Frank Vohs as Older Man
Crew
Production Manager: Hillary Cohen
Sound Board Op: Stephanie Wilson
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