 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Photos by AMY ANDERSON Russell Bookert, Beth Gnatiuk and Diler Ertug act as chimps who have to try to write “Hamlet” in the one act play, “Words, Words, Words.” The one acts ran from Nov. 13-16. |
If you were not able to make it to Wesleyan's productions of the one act plays Nov. 13 through Nov. 16 you missed out on three hilarious plays. Dr. Sally Shedd directed "Variations on the Death of Trotsky", "Words, Words, Words" (both written by David Ives) and "The Bald Soprano" (written by Eugene Ionesco). The plays had a great deal of subtext so Melissa Blair Bailey's "Dramaturg's Notes" were helpful.
 |
| Melanie Sanchez, Dorek Hayes, Zee Baer and Matt Tefft are “very curious and bizarre” in the one act play, “The Bald Soprano.” |
The first play performed was "Variations on the Death of Trotsky." Mike Porter played Leon Trotsky, a Russian Jew who was exiled because he was an ally of Lenin and an advocate of the "permanent revolution" theory. As Bailey tells us in her notes he gained asylum in Mexico where his gardener murdered him with an ice pick. Although it may seem hard to find humor in this story, the narrative and the skill with which the actors delivered their lines made "Variations" ironically funny. Melissa Blair Bailey was cast as Trotsky's wife, a woman who finds her husband's predicament amusing. The audience was also amused when they, along with Trotsky, realized that the object coming out of Trotsky's head was an ice pick.
The second play, "Words, Words, Words," was about three laboratory chimps charged with the task of reproducing Shakespeare's "Hamlet." The chimps represented three well-known literary and philosophical figures; Franz Kafka, John Milton and Jonathan Swift. Each chimp was comically dressed as a cowboy, a ballerina and a nerdy kid in a hat with a propeller on top. Milton, played by Elizabeth Gnatiuk, was a highly opinionated ape who knew how to work the laboratory system. Diler Ertug, cast as Kafka, did not say much until her crowning achievement at the end of the play. Swift or "Swifty" played by Russell Bookert, was a disgruntled chimp who hated having to try to write "Hamlet" and plotted ways to get out of the lab. The three actors did a great job bringing their characters (or chimps) to life. They seemed to have a lot of enthusiasm for their roles, which was only fueled by the audiences enjoyment of the dialogue and delivery.
 |
| Mike Porter portrays Leon Trotsky in “Variations on the Death of Trotsky.” |
The last play of the evening was "The Bald Soprano," a play in the style of "Theatre of the Absurd" and incidentally the first theatrical production done here. The play did not have much of a plot, however the theme was very clear. Throughout the dialogue it was evident that the playwright was commenting on the absurdities of social norms and language.
Matt Tefft and Zee Baer were Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Dorek Hayes and Melanie Sanchez were Mr. and Mrs. Martin both, well-to-do couples. The play takes place one evening when the Smiths and the Martins are scheduled to have dinner together. They discuss fascinating topics like the man at the café who was bent down on one knee tying his shoe and the man sitting on a bench reading his newspaper.
Their dialogue is interrupted when the Fire Chief, played by Neil Reda, stops in hoping to find a fire to put out since there seems to be a lack of them lately. The lively maid played by Sarah McMurtrie, drifts in and out of the play with poems and insignificant revelations. The cast worked well as an ensemble and did a fantastic job with some very odd dialogue and monologues.
The three plays were entertaining and thought provoking which is not often a characteristic of comedies. They were well acted. Even though the set was sparse and the use of props minimal, the technical aspects of the plays were thoughtful and well orchestrated.
Site created and maintained by Linda De Rosa.