Wiess One-Acts start theater season right

By Aisha Kibwana     9/25/08 7:00pm

Just in time for Families Weekend, Rice's college theater season opens this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with Wiess College Tabletop Theater's annual Freshman One-Acts, produced by Wiess College senior Roque Sanchez and presented entirely by Wiessmen.

There's something to be said about "The Tragical Tale of Melissa McHiney McNormous McWhale" and her large derriere. Whether or not Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" inspired Walter Wykes' play, the rhyme in it - just like the song - is humorous and entertaining. Directed by sophomore Mallory Pierpoint and senior Alex Mainor, it is light, witty and unexpected and certainly makes the walk to Wiess worth it, even for North College residents. What could possibly be a better distraction the night before an exam than listening to an eccentric yet terribly fascinating poem about a woman with an extraordinary butt?

Another light and humorous play, written and co-directed by senior and veteran One-Acts playwright Patricia Ladd, might make the One-Acts the highlight of many an audience member's night. In "enrod: Where's the Gold?" it is not the lines that make this play fantastic; it is the actors and the cheap props. A singing tree played by freshman T.J. Burleson, the ghost of William Marsh Rice and, if the audience is lucky, a falling mustache as a result of cheap tape are enough to make viewers double over with laughter. The acting is amusing enough, so forget the lines.

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Other plays in the One-Acts are amusing but also more meaningful. In "Purgatory Life" by S. W. Senek, the character Lucas, played by freshman Nathan Gabriel, leads audience members to question their lives and whether they're living them to the fullest. Lighter moments come in the form of a crazy receptionist, wonderfully played by freshman Alyssa Wiener, and a "good guy" angel, played by junior John Palmeri.

And then there's "Outcome," directed by juniors William Figueroa and Tiffany Kim and starring freshmen Alice Fa and Matt Banks as Lisa and Bob, a couple dealing with pregnancy but unwilling to become parents. The anxiety of having a baby leads Lisa and Bob to equate the baby with pain and pain with no sex. The play is a reflection of many of today's couples, whose relationships are impaired by a lack of straightforward communication.

On the same note, Bruce Kane's "Caught in the Act," directed by juniors Erin Waller and Alex Arevalos and starring freshmen Kunle Roberts and Danielle Axelson, discusses love-making and desire. The main characters, actors who will play the protagonists of a play in the making, try to stay together as the writer pulls them apart by changing their lines and names.

The same desire theme appears in "Masochism Tango." Freshmen Jenny Dirkes and Amit Suneja play Barbara and Ted, who are drawn to each other briefly only to break apart as fast as a sexual encounter between wild animals.

Overall, the plays are fun to watch, but not much more than that. There is definitely room for improvement in the acting department for some of the plays; nevertheless, they are entertaining and a nice way to relax at the end of a hectic week.

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