Vanessa Bryan, Ben Cohen, Eva Haimovich and Adam Kroksh (Photo by Katie Bogart Ward)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Write Act repertory at The Brickhouse Theater
Through August 9
RECOMMENDED
Running the gamut from bittersweet to bizarre, these five short musicals present sobering topics utilizing comedy, drama, and whimsy. While the acting talents of some performers outshine their vocals, a few extraordinarily strong singers do populate the ensemble. Thanks to some clever storytelling and outrageous characterizations, the show is an enjoyable one.
In “The Weight of the End of the World,” co-written by director Katie Bogart Ward and arranger Eric Sampson, and composed Vanessa Bryan, two married couples decide to hold a farewell party as a comet barrels towards Earth. It all starts off with Beth (Bryan) and husband Sam (Adam Kroksh) and their more flamboyant friends Craig (Ben L. Cohen) and Anya (polished vocalist Eva Haimovich) regaling themselves with happy memories as doom — reported by a boozy radio deejay (the show’s recorded emcee Marco Tazioli — approaches rapidly. As the liquor flows, however, long held secrets – and some not so well concealed ones – are revealed, which sends them on a hilarious stumble down memory lane and a “Secret Conga Line.”
Jojo (Forest Lin) faces eviction after a family misfortune leaves him broke and behind on his rent in 3-Day Notice, a work by writer Ceci Laice, composer Dan Brownfield, director David Lvov, and choreographer Abryelle Willson. With his hardnosed apartment manager Karen (Grace Balint) breathing down his neck, he strikes up a friendship with Fanny (Susan Eiden), an elderly neighbor who also has suffered emotional hardship. As the two commiserate on their losses (the touching and witty “Caretaker Blues”), they appear to have found a way to support each other in their grief – and outwit the rigid Karen.
A contentious mother and daughter bond is intensified by dementia in the tender and harrowing “Losing Memory,” written and directed by Darrin Yalacki, composed by Laura Lineback, with arrangement by Joshua Ginsburg. The opening episodes portray snippets of the tension between Claire (Helema Maggiore) and daughter Jesse (Alicia Agramonte), allowing the two performers to establish a credible relationship. As a reluctant Jesse puts her life on hold to care for Claire as her lucidity lapses, can they find a way to reconcile before Claire’s memory totally fades away?
“The Island of Mr. Lebeau” is a satiric swipe at America’s obsession with reality TV from writer/director Eiden and composer Tom Shelton. Hollywood consultant Krell (an impeccably voiced Jeanette Srinivasan), posh Florida homemaker Cecily (Haimovich), and foul-mouthed New Jersey nightclub bouncer Scottie (Mark Rice) are invited to compete for a million dollars on the new show, Cutthroat Island. Blindfolded on their trip to a secret island, they are dumped in a locked room where their dreams of winning are shared in the amusing “One Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero.” However, when they meet their unhinged host Mr. Lebeau (a suitably zany Cohen), the trio confront a challenge bigger than any game show.
“Uncommon Time,” written, directed, and composed by Jorge A. Pulido, pokes fun at the musical theatre genre itself. It depicts a strange malady infecting a corporation’s employees: They all break into uncontrollable singing when least expected. The opening song, apparently titled “Opening Song,” has the characters vocalizing questions about their theatrical tropes (leading man? leading lady? secondary character?) Is Justin (Kroksh) supposed to romance his co-worker Vera (Mich Ferro), despite her having been oblivious to him for years? Or are their coworkers (Bridget Hanks and Joshua Luper), despite a major incongruity, the real star-crossed lovers? And is the medication obsessed in-house psychiatrist Dr. Meyer (a whacky Veli Gonzalez) really all she is cracked up to be – or is she just cracked up?
Write Act Repertory at the Brickhouse Theatre, 10950 Peach Grove St., North Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 pm; thru Aug. 9. https://hotsummer25.brownpapertickets.com Running time: one hour and 40 minutes with an intermission.
Note: Jorge A. Pulido plays Craig and Mr. Lebeau on Satiurday and Sunday, August 1 and 2.
