Summer Shorts Series A

B+

The 11th edition of the Festival of New American Short Plays is now onstage at 59E59 Theater.  

Summer Shorts Series A opens with Melissa Ross’s (Of Good Stock) two-hander Jack, about a divorced couple George (Quincy Dunn-Baker; The End of Longing and By the Water) and Maggie (Claire Karpen; The Heir Apparent), whose bickering over the loss of their beloved dog Jack reflects their difficultly in finding closure. It’s funny, touching and wise. Mimi O’Donnell's direction finds all the right notes.

Next up is Playing God, an extended sketch by Alan Zweibel (SNL and Curb Your Enthusiasm) in which God (Bill Buell; Rancho Viejo) and his acerbic assistant (Welker White) teach a lesson to the self-satisfied Dr. Fisher (Dana Watkins), an obstetrician whose vacation dates take priority over his patient Barbara’s (Flora Diaz) due date. It’s funny but slight. Maria Mileaf’s direction finds all the laughs.

The evening’s finale, Acolyte by Graham Moore (The Imitation Game), is based on an episode in the life of Ayn Rand. Rand (Orlagh Cassidy) and her boozy husband Frank O’Connor (Ted Koch) are hosting Nathaniel (Sam Lilja) and Barbara (Bronte England-Nelson), a young married couple, Rand disciples who have been admitted to her inner circle. The conversation ranges from Plato to Aristotle to Rand’s Objectivism, a philosophy that placed a high value on pursuing one’s self-interest. Rand puts her philosophy into practice and cleverly manipulates those around her to get their blessing for her to do exactly what she wants. It’s clever and smart, but devotes too much time to a long but interesting monologue by Rand. Alexander Dinelaris (screenwriter of Birdman) directs with assurance.

All three plays are well-cast. Dunn-Baker, Cassidy and England-Nelson were especially good. Rebecca Lord-Surratt’s simple set makes effective use of shoji screens. Amy Sutton’s costume designs, especially the period attire for Acolyte, are quite good. Sound designer Nick Moore does wonders for a squash game in Playing God.

All in all, it was a satisfying evening and a big improvement over last year’s edition. Running time: 90 minutes; no intermission.

Rapture, Blister, Burn ****

With her new play now in previews at Playwrights Horizons, Gina Gionfriddo (Becky Shaw) once again demonstrates that she is one of the most promising American playwrights. In it, two fortyish women, formerly best friends in graduate school, meet again after a 12-year lapse during which their lives have taken very different directions. Catherine (Amy Brenneman), who has enjoyed a thriving career as an author, media critic and academic, has remained single. Gwen (Kellie Overbey) married Catherine's intended, Don (Lee Tergesen), while Catherine was away in London, dropped out of grad school and became a stay-at-home housewife and mother. Now, however, they both question their choices, wonder what they might have missed out on, and take steps to find out. Catherine's mother Alice (Beth Dixon) and college student/baby sitter Avery (Virginia Kull) observe and comment on the goings-on. While the plot is engaging, the main attraction is the intelligence, substance and wit of the dialog. Conversations about generational attitudes toward feminism, the views of Phyllis Schlafly, and the cultural significance of horror films and internet porn are skillfully woven into the play without a trace of didacticism. The cast is uniformly excellent. Alexander Dodge's scenic design is attractive and functional. Mimi O'Donnell's costumes are spot-on. Peter DuBois's direction serves the play well. Don't be put off by the strange title, which comes from a Courtney Love lyric of dubious signifance to the play. This is one of the finest plays I have seen this year. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes including intermission.