Savannah Mortenson, Stephanie Colet, and Troy Whitaker. (Photo by Doug Engalla)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Group Rep
Through July 13
This bill of one-acts is inspired by the historic “Route 66,” highway that once stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica. The plays all take place in different cities along the road at the poolside patio of a motel (nicely done by set designer Mareli Mitchel-Shields). It’s a mixed bag of offerings, with some plays hitting the mark, while others don’t. Performances, on balance, are good.
A pending nuptial is at the center of Julie Davis’s well written 45 Minutes and Counting, where a gay man (Troy Whitaker), is slated to marry a straight woman, inciting the stubborn disapproval of his sister (Savannah Mortensen) and gentle tolerance of his mom (Stephanie Colet). Direction is by Lisa McGee-Mann.
Smarter, more energetic writing is needed with Denise Downer’s Forget Me Not, as a terminal case of absentmindedness upends the romantic getaway plans of a married couple (Lee Grober and Melissa Lugo). Michael Mullen is hilarious as the motel manager, Barbara Brownell directs.
Skillfully directed by Todd Andrew Ball, Fox Carney’s evocative –and haunting— Futures Passedreveals the future and the impact of choices a soon-to-be married young woman (Anica Petrovic), when she is mysteriously confronted with herself (April Audia), now decades older.
Phil Olson’s wildly hilarious The Tour Guide is the gem of the evening; it features Ben Anderson as a sponging smart aleck and the perpetually slothful son of parents played by Lloyd Pedersen and Judy Nazemetz. To get sonny boy to grow up, they hatch a fiendishly clever plot with the hotel manager, Neil Thompson. Director Doug Engalla hits all the notes with this one.
With a nod to topical issues, Mimi Kmet’s Wildorado, is about the desperation and conflict experienced by Katy (Sylvie Wiley), pregnant with a child who has a horrible birth defect, as she attempts to end her pregnancy — in a state with legal restrictions — aided by the gentle and understanding Grace (Ramona Reeves). Directed by Amy Shaughnessy, the piece is provocative and emotionally charged with performances that are perfectly calibrated.
Reunion starts out promising but gradually flatlines. Written by Kathi Chaplar, it is about two former lovers, Michelle (Rachel Speth) and Victor (Seong Park), and their encounter after many years. Victor, however, is a ghost, having died years ago, and their meeting affords chances for some long-standing questions to be answered. But the playwright should have gone deeper into the emotional connections of these characters. There is a dryness that settles in early and never abates.
A “wookie” (Sam Logan) and a “chinchilla” (Danny Salay) are onstage for Brent Beerman’s often humorous, but tedious Baby Day. The pair are on their way to a Comic-con convention in costumes, but their planned outing is unsettled by the stubborn determination of Logan’s wife Jennifer (Angie Lin), appearing as princess Leia, to indulge in some procreative copulation. Director Lee Redmond mines this one for some laughs, but they soon taper off.
The Group Rep Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd. North Hollywood. (Upstairs stage, no wheelchair access) Thur.-Sun., 7 pm, Sat. 4 pm; thru July 13. Running time: Two hours with one 15-minute intermission. www.thegroup.com
