“Aftertaste”: Gwendolyn Joyce, Helema Maggiore, Justin Gubersky (Photo by Mitch Metivier)
Reviewed by Asa Fris
Write Act Rep at Brickhouse Theater
Thru May 18
Write of Spring (2025) premieres six one-act plays, all using “Art” as a theme or inspiration, tied together as a tour of the new paintings. The theme is interpreted in a number of ways, and there’s no shortage of creativity in the plays, though they achieve varying levels of success.
The first stop is “The Other Paintings In The Room With The Mona Lisa” by Thomas J. Misuraca. Directed by Kyle Blumenthal, a conversation by Mona Lisa’s “neighbors” about how the public overlooks them. It’s amusing, but a touching ending is weakened by dialogue that forces the action to stop and start.
Next, “The Custom Officer’s Beautiful Dream” by Susan C. Hunter attempts to evoke Rousseau’s The Dream with masks and imaginative use of a dress as a surface for projections. But weak choices in staging and interpretation leaves it short of being thought provoking or captivating. Darrin Yalack directs.
“Hanami Festival” by Rochelle Perry, follows, with a tale of a mother and daughter visiting Japan in memory of their daughter/sister. Directed by Anne Mesa, it contains the most interesting visual storytelling of the night, but inconsistent performances and costume/scenic changes that interrupt the action lead it to only succeed in moments.
After an intermission, “Musings” kicks off the second half ridiculously and enjoyably. Written and directed by Carla Cackowski, “Musings” circumvents the spatial limitations of the theater through Cackowski’s simple staging and setting, placing our focus on Erika Godwin and Margo Rowder’s campy conversation between two women attending an art exhibit. The script is plain silly, but the performance is quite entertaining.
Both “The Eye” by Darrin Yalacki, directed by Susan C. Hunter, and “Aftertaste” by Mitch Metivier and Jorge A. Pulido (who also directs), round out the evening with fun and lightheartedness. “The Eye” deals with the alteration and ownership of art through a story about high school art students and a hilarious art teacher, played by Jennifer Kenyon. And “Aftertaste” is a date that goes wrong, again and again, through a callous man’s use of a watch that rewinds time.
Adam Kroksh, Gwendolyn Joyce, and Helema Maggiore also give notable performances throughout the night.
Write-Act Repertory at the Brickhouse Theatre, 10950 Peach Grove St, North Hollywood, Fri.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru May 18. Running time approximately 90 minutes with intermission https://writeofspring25.brownpapertickets.com/.
