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Theater Daedalus put on their second annual showcase of "Project 10" this past weekend at the Columbus Performing Arts Center. It was a night of 10 short plays ranging largely from humor to tragedy and everything in between. All written in a matter of 10 weeks by Daedalus members Jeremy Sony, Michael Parsons and Jaclyn Villano, the plays featured 16 actors, divided in three teams, and was presented in a rolling, shotgun fashion, one play right after the other.
Simplicity was the name of the game, as costumes and sets were nearly non-existent, each of the actors wearing only jeans and their team color t-shirt. The production definitely forced the actors to hone their craft, since they really didn't have anything but their talent, and each other, to rely on.
Villano's "Unanswered, We Ride" was definitely the night's best showcase. Sonda Stanley Lewis gave an inspiring performance in this one-woman show about a mother who, while folding her laundry, tells how she's dealing with the death of her young daughter. Villano's script is masterful; offering a seamless juxtaposition of humor and drama. And Lewis brilliantly teetered on the line of melodrama and stark emotion, bringing much of the audience to tears, even when she never fully gave in to the breakdown.
Another highlight was Sony's "Spin Cycle," in which Christina McQuade and Dale Bush take on the flailing love between two people in an estranged marriage. Both actors shined, giving a real portrayal of hurt and hope as each dealt with whether they should chose infidelity over saving their marriage.
"Say Goodnight, Dickie" by Sony, offered a snarky look at four stars—played by Jeff Kemeter, Rick Isbell, Marla Williams and Laila Newell—of a popular soap opera who are happy to be celebrating its final episode on a live television retrospective. One of the night's most hilarious showcases, the foursome showed amazing chemistry, especially while at each others throats during the "commercial breaks."
Christmas came early with "Reindeer Game-On!," a funny whodunit surrounding Santa's famous reindeer as an unseen detective interrogates the lot about Rudolf's disappearance. Villano gave each reindeer a defining characteristic that each member of the ensemble cast delightfully ran with. Michael Day's take on Comet was the standout, playing him as a jittery, drugged-up renegade with Mafia-errand-boy-tendencies.
Parsons' "Little Moments" was a modern and slightly melodramatic tribute to Elpis (Bush) and Momus (Kim Sanders), the Greek gods of hope and satire respectively. Each prey on the Kip (John Grote) as he garners the courage to approach a female (McQuade) he's been eyeing at a coffee shop. Sanders is a scene-stealer as the pessimistic Momus, donning a hilarious attitude of failure, while Grote brings out Kip's nerd-like innocence with an alluring charm.
McQuade gave a crowd-pleasing performance as Agent Masters in Villano's "No Place Like Home." Nailing the Brooklyn tough-girl accent and attitude, she led the four-person cast in a story about a couple (Bush and Sanders) displeased with the accommodations of the Witness Protection Program. Grote played up the typical green cop role as Agent Bungles.
Sony's "Wonderland 2.0" took the audience on an interesting journey into the world of social simulation, much like SIMS or Second Life. Tammy Muse and John Newkirk portray the machine-like movements of Di and Chester who are avatars playing out the awkward first meeting of Alice (Keely Kurtas-Chapman) and Harry (Day), each at their computers. The play effectively commented on the jilted and often unrealistic expectations of online interaction.
Parsons' "The House of Woodcock" offered a stranger-than-fiction moment with his storyline about a family—Kemeter, Lewis, Isbell and Newell—torn apart by the ramblings of a kooky British narrator (Williams, who nails the accent) they somehow are able to hear. Hilarious, though slightly chaotic for no reason, the play dissolved into an amusing mess as the narrator revealed scandalous, over-the-top-secrets about each member of the family.
Rachel Wengrow starred in Sony's one-woman introspective, "Fluttering Against the Plane," about a woman struggling with the disconnection of connection in the digital age.
The night ended wit Parsons "Doppler Effect," a reflective, Shakespearean look at the complexities of love. Muse and Timothy Patrick take on the leading roles, both embodied the poetic and whimsical nature of the characters' emotions.
For more information on Theatre Daedalus and their upcoming show's visit the Theatre Daedalus Web site.
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