Review: 'Cabfare for the Common Man'

MadLab stages seven hilarious and thought-provoking shorts by Mark Harvey Levine

By Dwayne Steward

Metromix

MadLab Theatre is ending its season with a series of short plays by Pittsburgh-bred playwright Mark Harvey Levine. In "Cabfare for the Common Man"—showing at Madlab's downtown theater, 227 N. Third Street, until Oct. 23—seven one-acts shine a quick, comedic spotlight on the human condition (with a twist).

Here are just a few of the strange but hilarious happenings during the evening: A couple wakes up to find their day has been prewritten in a mysterious script found at their bedside. A psychic that can predict only two minutes into the future annoys his girlfriend. A woman purposefully puts herself in harrowing situations in order to win over the affections of a "super hero." All in all, it's an interesting nght.

The buzz: Mark Harvey Levine is known for keeping things short. With more than 500 of his plays having been produced around the country, his scripts are in pretty high demand. "Cabfare for the Common Man"—a pub of Aaron Copland's famous classical piece "Fanfare for the Common Man"—is a popular collection featuring some of his best work. MadLab has already staged two of the shorts ("Surprise," "The Rental") in the annual shorts festival "Theatre Roulette."

The verdict: Seeing as how shorts festivals are what MadLab does best, it's no surprise that "Cabfare" is a nearly flawless night of intense character study. In "The Rental," Vicki Andronis seamlessly rides Sonya's wave of emotions brought on by Harold (played by Jeremiah Campana), who is the "rented boyfriend" sent by her best friend. Campana adds hilarious inflection as he transitions between salesman to dotting lover. And during "The Kiss," Brian Spangler-Campbell and Jill Ceneskie show true chemistry as Dennis and Allison, two friends who find themselves questioning their relationship during a practice make-out session. These are just a few of the finer moments in a night full of noteworthy performances, all under the intuitve direction of Andy Batt.

Bottom line: You'd expect short plays to lean on witty one-liners to keep the audience in stitches, but Levine produces laughs by smartly throwing quirky, fully-drawn characters into ridiculous situations. When Stephen Woosley wakes up with a taxi driver (Chris Youngblood) at the end of his bed—with the Columbus skyline whirling past on a projection screen behind him—you know you're in for a unique ride. But it's not until after he's crashed into puberty, ditched his parents at graduation and informed the cabby to keep the meter running once a baby enters the picture that you realize he's on to something much deeper. In a fast-paced, YouTube clip-driven world, seven insightful and funny plays all under 15 minutes sounds like the perfect night out for anyone looking for a well-placed giggle.

"Cabfare for the Common Man" runs at 8 p.m. from Sept. 30 to Oct. 23 at MadLab Theatre, 227 N. Third Street. Tickets are $6-$12. Call 614-221-5418 or visit MadLab.net for more information.