One Act Play Festival — Show A at The Magnetic Theatre
Fans of the Adult Swim cartoon Rick and Morty may recall the titular mad scientist’s Interdimensional Cable: a box that allows the viewer to flip between infinite channels of oddities like Gazorpazorpfield and Man vs. Car. The One Act Play Festival at The Magnetic Theater is a bit like that for fans of new dramaturgy.
Over the course of about three hours and 12 separate productions, my attention was whiplashed from the 1800s to the indeterminate future, from the middle of the ocean to a colony on Mars. And that dramatic kaleidoscope was only half of what’s on offer at the Magnetic — the festival features two separate programs, Show A and Show B, at different times through Saturday, Aug. 12. (The audience favorites from each show will be performed at a “Best of the Best” showcase on Sunday, Aug. 13.)
I caught the opening night of Show A on Aug. 4, while my Asheville Stages colleague Brian Postelle covered Show B. Here’s my short impressions of each play from the first program, ranked in my personal order of preference.
Coupling — From the tropey setup of a one-night stand and its aftermath comes a surprisingly tender meditation on intimacy and hope. Playwright Alan Brooks gives quick-witted dialogue to his couple, played with endearing chemistry by Naimah Coleman and Zak Hamrick, and their repartee evolves at just the right pace. Hamrick’s climactic monologue, in which he tries to sell Coleman on the idea that this fling could be the start of something lastingly beautiful, is easily the best-written sequence of the entire Show A program.
Missing Persona — Another work featuring Hamrick as the lead, Jerold Fink’s drama explores how quickly an intense connection can form, as well as what happens when that connection disappears. Mary Weisgerber shines in her brief scene as the object of Hamrick’s affection, with a compelling mix of attraction and intelligence and hesitation. Fink’s dialogue is smart and packed with meaningful allusions both theatrical and literary.
Neighborly — John Connon’s offering is a deliciously slow burn of tension between adjoining homeowners, played by David Hopes and Aina Rapoza. Hopes gets the lion’s share of the dialogue and makes the most of it, peeling off layers of civility and grief at the death of his beloved dog to reveal something much, much darker. While Rapoza’s part is more limited, he does an excellent job filling his side of the stage with evolving body language through the play’s denouement.
Thanks, Nick — Mark Kroczynski delivers a performance at once avuncular and uproarious as he relays the (supposedly) true story of a house fire experienced by playwright James C. Ferguson. A supporting cast of Derian Blane, Emily Drake, and Jason Williams helps bring the memory to life with fine comedic timing. Ferguson isn’t making any grand thematic arguments with the script here, but with a tale this entertaining, he doesn’t need to.
Speed Dating — Daniel Sandoval and Denise Lockett portray a pair of older singletons trading playful banter at an awkward meet-and-greet in this piece from Curt Strickland. The dialogue is very funny, albeit somewhat repetitive in places, and takes an unexpectedly wholesome turn toward the end of the play. I felt warmed when the pair walked offstage arm and arm to get a drink somewhere more comfortable.
Borderline — Randy Warren’s compelling premise here, of a small-town Maine mayor (Williams) finding the nearby Canadian border might not be where he’d long believed, could easily be extended into a longer format. As presented, the action felt a bit too condensed, with the mayor, a U.S. immigration agent (Rapoza), and a Canadian bureaucrat (Mandy Bean) having to present their perspectives in the broadest of strokes. Special kudos to Bean for hilarious prop work — I about lost it when the moose hat came out.
I Am the House — Like a twisted Pixar movie, Sharon Goldner’s play animates the possessions left behind by a young man in the wake of his unexpected suicide. Groan-inducing puns pepper the dialogue of the teddy bear (Skyler Goff), football (George Awad), and girlie magazine (Jenni Robinson), although the house itself (Paula O’Brien) does its best to keep things poignant. The piece presents some good insights into grief but feels in need of additional polishing.
They’re All Coming Back! — A magical hamper (Rapoza in a non-speaking role) regurgitates the figurative dirty laundry of an older couple over the course of Mona Deutsch Miller’s entry. Long-suffering wife Margaret (Alesa Bryant) gets a satisfying comeuppance on husband George (Marty Flynn), but the path to that point feels meandering, with the objects from the hamper not coming together into a unified narrative.
DINO — The odd couple of a suicidally depressed father (Awad) and a big green dinosaur (Sarah Hajkowski) discuss the state of the world in this piece by Greg Vovos. At times Awad’s rants veer into author tract territory, and Hajkowski’s delivery is a bit hammy. Still, there are some genuinely funny exchanges to enjoy.
Eden 2 — I’ll give Morey Norkin’s production props for perhaps the best costuming choice of the night: placing God Almighty in a unicorn onesie with long purple hair and oversized sunglasses. His script is chockablock with cheesy biblical allusions and stoned-freshman philosophizing, however, and the new Adam and Eve tasked with repopulating Mars (Goff and Katie Alexander) are forced into overacting. The overall effect lacks weight.
The Strange Dreams of Rabbi Wechsler — Peter Langman’s dramatization of a real-life 19th century Jewish mystic and his prophetic visions of “Jew hatred” is earnest, if nothing else. But its wooden dialogue and clunky blocking make it feel like something one might see at an underfunded history museum. Kroczynski does his best to wring pathos from the title role; Langman’s script doesn’t give him much to work with.
The Hunger Boat — If there was a point to this oceangoing farce by Ryan Armstrong, it was as lost as its five poor souls adrift on their lifeboat. The dialogue comes across as naught but pointless bickering, with flat characterization and static stage presence. I guess that’s appropriate given the subject matter, but I didn’t find it at all compelling.
The 4th Annual One Act Play Festival runs through Sunday, Aug. 13 at the Magnetic Theatre. For details and tickets, visit themagnetictheatre.org.
(Photo by JenBen Media)
