A mere two today:
SIREN SONG – Rarig Experimental
T 8/4 8:30; W 8/5 10:00; Sa 8/8 4:00
I wandered into Siren Song with no idea of what it would be: there was no line and, significantly, no program. Would Siren Song be a solo performance? A musical? A dance piece? A rollicking comedy?
It’s a drama. A little clunky (the acting verges on the amateurish), but effective nonetheless. A young man, played with passion and evincing genuine pain by Zakary Morton (I can tell you this, having consulted the Fringe’s robust website) is closing his mother’s house after her death. Helping is his girlfriend Erin (Ali Sondreal). Their relationship is troubled and marked, effectively, by sexual passion and the working out of it provides Siren Song with its most interesting moments. Circling the action, Siren-like, is Emily Wrolson. She has presence and power, but I wasn’t clear why she’s there. Finally, the best aspect of Siren Song: the surging and strange cello music, composed by Joshua Stallings and played live by Adam Stiber. Siren Song was directed by Caitlin McCarthy.
The acting could be better, and the play is super-serious. But effective.
THE MRS. – Theatre-in-the-Round
T 8/4 8:30; F 8/7 4:00; Su 8/9 1:00
Written by Emily Schmidt, The Mrs. is a for-real actual play, Sister Wives done á la zippy Fox sitcom. Polygamist (“polygimme a break”) Dean (Nate Morse) has disappeared, leaving his 4 wives – confused and pregnant Tawny (Samantha Baker Harris; Harris also directs); lesbian wanna-be Pam, (the always compelling Shanan Custer); the hysterically staid Helen (Maureen Tubbs); angry mother of seven Ellen (Rita Beersma). The coming-into-their-own of these remarkable individuals forms the action of the fastpaced and extremely well-acted The Mrs. One wonders: what did these powerful women ever see in the dork-like Dean? But maybe this is the whole point.
Note: ignorable criticism follows. I disliked the constant scene breaks (which break up the action and, imo, wreck the play’s energy), punctuated with treacly banjo strumming and tra-la-la singing. End of ignorable criticism.
David Kappelhoff as Officer Huckley made me giggle constantly.
The audience adored The Mrs. and I bet you will, too. See it.