Negotiations
and Love Stories
Raconteur Theater
Club Diversity
Columbus, Ohio
May 21 – June 6
* * * 1/2
by Rick Brown
Raconteur Theater is the
Gypsy troupe of Columbus, Ohio. Every performance is in a different space. At
first I found this a bit disconcerting. But after witnessing the show at Club
Diversity I feel otherwise. The “club” is actually a converted,
old, seemingly Victorian house right on High Street in the Brewery District.
This environment was a good fit for the first anniversary show by Raconteur.
Making it feel all the more spontaneous was that Negotiation and Love Stories
consisted of a hodge-podge of short one acts delightfully thrown together. This
helter-skelter…all over the place…approach is something we at Naked
Sunfish can most certainly relate to and revel in.
Beginning Act I was Dave Grant’s Plugged In. Under the fine direction
of Jill Ceneskie, Joel Dickerson’s joyously manic portrayal of college
student Erik was both fun and thought provoking. Communicating with his roommate
(in the very next room none the less) via his computer’s instant messaging,
emailing back and forth to a potential love interest and trying to maintain
a diplomatic conversation with his mother on a cell phone, Mr. Dickerson became
the quintessential high technology juggler. This was a great opener.
Jimmy Mak’s Roger’s Beard followed. The strong writing
of this Shadowbox veteran allowed Sam Blythe (Eddie) and Allison Wheeler (Claire)
to lightheartedly peel away each onionskin layer of marriage, adultery, deception
and uncomfortable proximity. Director Jason Speicher’s approach to Mak’s
play as farce made this entertaining, especially in the context of a series
of fast moving one acts.
Not so successful was Rebecca H. Jones’ Forever Again. After
the frivolity of the previous sketch the seriousness of the plot fell short.
The actors seemed wooden, mostly stiff and did not move gracefully in their
performance space…or their character’s skin. Raconteur’s actors
are, for the most part, young. And playing mature, broken hearted, bitter people
is sometimes a leap of faith the audience has difficulty making. Such was the
case here. Only Anna Wang’s scorned Diana came close to eliciting sympathy.
Closing Act 1 was Rockabye Bullet by Jaclyn Villano. Dealing with a
possible unplanned pregnancy in the middle of a family reunion is serious stuff.
And for the most part the players here rose to the occasion. Brent Small, and
more so Emily Mills displayed a loving sense of urgency and nonplussed anxiety.
But Heather Fidler’s entrance and performance as the mother of the possibly
pregnant daughter lifted the storyline to a more believable and satisfying level.
Act 2 began with the chestnut of the entire show. Richard Martin Hirsch’s
Fast, Light and Brilliant was performed skillfully by Elizabeth Huff-William
as She and Robert Foor as He. Under the poignant, yet realistic direction of
Mary-Aileen St. Cyr, the longest piece of the evening flowed superbly. With
the metaphor of watching fireflies as a backdrop, both Ms. Williams and Mr.
Foor commanded our attention with riveting, engaging presence. Their performances
at once provoked empathy and understanding for two out-of-towners drawn to each
other (like fireflies) at a conference…two people knowledgeable in love,
love lost, and the promise of tender redemption. Bravo.
His Return by Percival Wilde followed. Set in the World War I era,
Jill Ceneskie plays Helen Hartley, a woman anxiously waiting the return of her
wounded soldier husband John (Andrew Hartley). For those in the audience who
knew the actors are married in real life, this added a delicious twist. Ms.
Ceneskie played her worrisome character’s concern that her husband will
notice her slight aging (the dress she said goodbye to him in no longer fits)
subtly enough to keep Helen likable rather than self-absorbed. And this made
their reunion charming and mostly believable.
Closing out Negotiations and Love Stories was David Lewison’s
Walking Distance. The plot turns the tables on the stereotypical “man
picks up woman in a bar” saga. This time Angie (Shanelle Marie) swaggered
into a pub looking to take a man back to her place for the night. Sam Blythe’s
understated coyness and hesitation at Angie’s bravado was charmingly refreshing.
While Ms. Marie’s confident Angie sometimes bordered on “hooker
chutzpah” the interplay between her and Mr. Blythe was endearing and seemingly
genuine.
While a little uneven in part, Negotiations and Love Stories, especially
performed in such a disarmingly comfortable environ as Club Diversity, provided
a wonderful evening of entertainment. I certainly respect this troupe’s
embrace of change and risk taking.
For more information on Raconteur Theater please go to: raconteurtheatre.com