Wiess One-Acts deliver varied, enjoyable show

By Jane Labyer     9/24/09 7:00pm

Whether in communist Russia or 1940s Mexico, whether dealing with death or deciding on the ideal spread for a bagel, the Wiess Freshman One- Acts truly run the gamut. A collection of short one-act plays put on every year during the fall semester by Wiess Tabletop theater, the one-acts are intended to teach Wiess freshmen about theater in a fun and low-key way, and this year it has certainly succeeded in its goal. Although there are some small errors present in the production and a noticeable level of disorganization at times, the actors onstage are having so much fun that the audience can't help but join them in their enjoyment.

This year offers six one-act plays, beginning with "Smoke Scenes," which consists of a progression of 50 mini-scenes all somehow related to smoking. The scenes begin with a few short conversations in which one of the actors asks permission to light a cigarette. The scenes progress through a variety of locations and characters, from a busy street to a restaurant, from Arthur Miller to Anton Chekhov.

Because the scenes cover such large distances in time and space, every line is important to the audience, so on the few occasions that the actors flub their lines the audience is left trying to catch up. However, such errors were few and far between, and the actors recovered splendidly from the mistakes they made, especially Stephanie Jordan, whose impressions are believable, versatile and absolutely hilarious.

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The following act, "The Secret Life of the Planets," chronicles the rocky relationship between the sun and her planets. The sun has gotten tired of the planets' petty snarking and wants something better for her future, so she leaves the solar system behind in search of fame and fortune.

But as she journeys away from the solar system, she encounters a bitter, disaffected black hole who used to be famous herself. She warns the sun against leaving her planets behind, and the sun takes her advice and returns to her solar system with a gift of free beer for her planets.

This whimsical take on the solar system is silly and entertaining, but at times the performance gets cumbersome. For instance, whenever all eight planets are onstage, the six or seven that aren't talking forget to stay in character. This clutters the scene and distracts from the dialogue.

Nonetheless, there are many one-liners that redeem the play, and some of the characters are both outlandish and outstanding. Carolyn Branecky wows as a very sassy Venus, and the Black Hole scene is priceless due to the classic efforts of Yahaira Verdejois, while Christina Villareal presents what has to be the cutest satellite ever to leave planet Earth.

After the heart-warming end to "The Secret Life of the Planets," the show takes a darker turn with "Variations on the Death of Trotsky." The scene opens with Leon Trotsky studying at his desk, a giant axe protruding from his head. His wife enters, and tells him that an encyclopedia from the future says he will die today due to head injury from a mountain climber's axe.

The rest of the play is like reading the "choose-your-own-adventure" version of Trotsky's death from front to back instead of picking an adventure and following that story. The scenes play and replay Trotsky's death, his acceptance of his fate and the possibilities surrounding it.

Despite Trotsky's near loss of his wig/axe combo, the actors managed to deliver the darkest performance of the night, but by no means the least entertaining. Although the play's subject matter is morbid, the play manages to be funny rather than depressing, mostly due to the comic relief provided by Mrs. Trotsky, played by Villareal, and Ramon Mercader, played by Andres Novoa.

After Trotsky finally kicks the bucket for good, we experience yet another huge transition. "10,000 Cigarettes" is another act about smoking, but it is told from the viewpoint of one woman, Gloria, who is played by four actresses. They take turns narrating Gloria's love for cigarettes, from the giddy first crush that led her to start smoking to her eventual realization that she must quit.

This scene fuses the considerable talents of four actors. The suave sophistication of Lisa Hendricks, the sultry sex appeal of Emily Viehman, the sweet excitability of Emily Nichol and the matter-of-fact confidence of Lauren Thies blend together to depict the various facets of one person's experiences with smoking, aptly describing the glamour and luxury that Gloria associates with smoking, her many "cigarette fantasies" and the bleak realization that she is slowly killing herself. An engaging and absorbing piece, "10,000 Cigarettes" gracefully and intelligently handles a wide range of subject matter.

Contrasted with the dire realizations at the end of "10,000 Cigarettes," the next piece, "Bagel Club," is a zany piece of fun. "Bagel Club" details the dissolution of the eponymous organization, a group of three bagel aficionados dominated by their quirky and deliciously dictatorial leader, Amanda, played by Gabi Chennisi.

The trouble starts when Stephanie, played by Meredith Ventura, tries to bring out a flask of coffee to drink with her bagel. This is against the rules, as only bagels are allowed in Bagel Club, leading the group to dissolve into an argument about Amanda's leadership policies until Amanda finally leaves and Stephanie assumes leadership of Bagel Club.

This is a failure, however, and the group dissolves completely, leaving Stephanie to sit alone by herself. David Wang's awkwardness as Joey and Ventura's skillful portrayal of Stephanie's injured anger, combined with the absurd heavy-handedness of Amanda, create a hilarious portrayal of the petty arguments that finally destroy Bagel Club.

The next play, "Kingdom of the Spider," opens when Bob, a new father and stay-at-home dad, is confronted by a black widow spider on his front porch. The spider tells him to keep his one-year-old son away from her because she is pregnant and needs her rest. She then goes on to take Bob to task for his fear of taking responsibility.

As they argue, a young missionary approaches Bob and tries to preach to him. But Bob snaps, yelling at the girl and asking her what Jesus has to do with his problems, his child and his house.

The talking black widow, who doesn't seem to faze the missionary, tries to calm Bob down and apologizes. But Bob refuses to calm down. Instead he borrows a pamphlet from the missionary and kills the black widow with it, despite the missionary's pleading. The missionary, shocked by the violence of the fight, leaves the stage in the midst of a religious crisis.

The play ends the show on an awkward, uncomfortable note. It was an odd choice for an ending, but the scene itself was interesting and engaging. Kiki Ogu brings plenty of energy and attitude to the play as the Black Widow, and Jennifer Shafer is a very sweet and earnest missionary girl. Together, they add a healthy dose of humor to a play about a man's struggle to redefine himself.

But then, perhaps it is the perfect note to end on. "Kingdom of the Spider" is just as awkward as the amalgamation of the six acts in their entirety, but no less entertaining. Running an hour and a half long, the One Acts are nothing more than lighthearted entertainment, peppered with serious moments and introspection, and audiences will surely leave feeling at least a little bit lighter than they did before the show.

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