Lisa Eve, Sonja Hansen and Katie Mary Garland
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Write Act Repertory at the Peachtree Theatre
Through December 21
Pieces of December consists of six one-acts from Write Act Repertory, all themed around the Yuletide season. While there are humorous moments, in general these pieces offer little in the way of engaging entertainment. Several of the writers and directors lean heavily on tepid sketch-comedy shtick, displaying little evidence of the care and imagination needed to make their scripts appealing. The performances are uniformly uneven throughout.
A good example of this is the first play on the bill, Abigail Pelitonen’s “Red Eyes With The Wise,” (which she also directs), where Rebecca (Allison Delaney), trolls for romance among the male passengers on a plane.
By contrast, “Dreck the Halls” written by Thomas Misuraca and directed by Jorge Pulida, is an imaginative and funny setup in which Missy (Ceci Laiche) and Stan (Kimo Keoke) confront their new neighbor Arial (Adam Kroksh) about his obscenely morbid taste in Christmas decoration. Kroksh is wonderfully effective in his role, blending Goth groupie with a yuks-inducing take on Vincent Price. Laiche and Keoke also perform convincingly.
The best offering here is Susan C. Hunter’s “Three Wishes,” a fresh spin on an old tale,directed by Laura Lineback. While strolling through a park, Rose (Katie Mary Garland) encounters Fidelia (Sonja Hansen), a homeless woman on a bench. After Rose gives her some money, it turns out that she is an emissary from heaven, who grants Rose three wishes, one of which is for a daughter (Lisa Eve), who turns out to be a foul-mouthed, insufferable brat.
Also on the bill are “My Toxic Christmas Tree,” “I’ll Be Home for Boxing Day,” and “Steve’s New Year.”
Write Act Repertory, 10950 Peach Grove St., N. Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sun., 3 pm; thru Dec. 21. Running time: 90 minutes with an intermission. https://holidayexpress25.bpt.me
