Thursday, January 24, 2008

YSU One-Acts offer comedy, thought

By Katie Libecco

YOUNGSTOWN – Youngstown State University Theater's Second Stage BlackBox Productions really took a chance with their selection of two one-acts.

Fortunately for local audiences, that chance paid off.

The student-directed, -performed and -produced night of two one-acts were a great pair. Beyond the scripts, the shows work because of plainly evident, well-thought-out directing and devoted performers.

The night begins with "Roulette," written by Douglas Hill and directed by Joel Stigliano. It's a story about a couple who's marriage is failing, but reconnect in the most unlikely circumstances. It's a story of love and understanding.

Alyssa Connelly plays the young wife, Janine, nearly falling apart over her marriage failing. To quote one of her lines, she is "striking, but dramatic." Connelly was spot-on throughout the performance, funny when need be and desperately frustrated at other times.

Her husband, Matt, is played by Nick Libeg. Sometimes in theater, the hardest part to play can be "yourself" or "normal." Libeg's portrayal of an average guy in a very unusual situation was remarkable and above all else, believable.

As a director, Stigliano made great use of the arena space with blockingtheater term — how can you explain it for an audience that really maximized the venue's setup. Further, the scene changes told just as much of the story as the dialogue, with lights up just enough to show real transitions between scenes. The accompanying music was perfect for each scene change, helping to tell just a little more of the story.

The second show of the night is "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe," written by Christopher Durang and directed by David Munnell. It's a wickedly exaggerated story of Catholicism and one family's journey into the religion, perhaps a bit too far.

In "The Naturedis that right? or should it be nature? and Purpose of the Universe," the cast is required to play caricatures of stereotypes and this production knew just how far to take it.

It centers around Roxanne Hauldren as Eleanor, who is charming enough the audience cares about her life of torment, while playing it cute and disproportionate enough that the performance never gets too dark. Her fundamental Catholic husband is played by BJ Wilkes, a perfect choice for the wildly out-of-touch husband.

Their dysfunctional family is completed with three sons, Donald, Gary and Andy, played by Ryan Bissett, Bobby Brooks and Randall Brammer, respectively. Again, these parts take courage and theatrical knowledge to play them at the right level. If "Spinal Tap" were directing, they'd say to take the roles "to 11," and this cast succeeds.

Juleah Buttermore handles numerous bit parts with ease, while Snowflake St. Clair and Brett Light also transition between characters. Sheridan Sullivan's part as the narrator helped bring the audience into the show, adding more humor.

There's no denying the darkness, and blasphemy, of the show. But this cast manages to keep it on the fence, exploring the extremes of the church while keeping the audience entertained.

Each one-act would be worth seeing on its own. Fortunately, they are appropriately paired together to offer a great night of thought, laughter and great acting.