Annual Festival Fields Some Standout Work
By Mark Lowry?, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
Jul. 22–DALLAS — Ten theater companies are performing one-act plays in the 10th annual Festival of Independent Theatres. Of the four I’ve seen, one was amusingly silly and two took on works by Important Playwrights in interesting stagings. One, by a Dallas playwright, feels more significant than any work by a local writer I’ve seen in my nine years of attending FIT. Here’s a rundown:
Waiting for greatness: Dallas writer Isabella Russell-Ides’ Coco & Gigi is described as “two times [Gogo & Didi] plus [Desi & Lucy],” and it definitely owes more to Waiting for Godot than I Love Lucy. The playwright gives us a sparkling park-bench conversation between lovers about spirituality, theater, fondly remembering the past and dreaming big for the future (or not).
The genius is that the script is done twice with different interpretations, first between an old-world theatrical pair (Ellen Locy and John S. Davies), then, in more contemporary urban language by two young women (Ashley Wilkerson and Jeanette Scott). The device cleverly connects the characters’ worlds on many levels (generation, race, social background). Great performances and an unforgettable hour of theater.
August in Tennessee: August Strindberg is a founder of modern drama, setting the stage for Tennessee Williams a half-century later. One Thirty Productions’ Two by Tennessee, consisting of the two short Williams plays, The Lady of Larkspur Lotion and Hello From Bertha, features good turns by the actresses in the title roles (Marty Van Kleeck and Mary Lang, respectively) but is probably only of interest to Williams enthusiasts.
In the Drama Club’s look at Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata — about a young student who encounters vampiric, misanthropic characters after a town tragedy — remarkable physical-theater visuals (masks by Lydia Mackey, a striking giant 2-D puppet of a nourishment-sucking cook) and memorable performances (Cindy Beall stands out) don’t make up for an underthought production. I’d love to see it after fine-tuning, with more attention to set, lighting and pacing.
Fanciful flight: WingSpan Theatre Company does the American premiere of Sherry Kramer’s A Permanent Signal, a slight diversion about two siren gods (Beverly Jacob Daniel and Lulu Ward) who get more than they bargained for on their mission to take something from earthling Mary (Jennifer Youle). Eh.
Festival of Independent Theatres Through Aug. 9
8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 5 p.m. Sundays
Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive, Dallas
$12-$16 per performance block (two shows per block); festival passes available
214-528-5576; www.bathhousecultural.com
Be advised: Many of the shows contain strong language.
Runtime: Maximum for each company is one hour, so expect about two hours per block.
Best reason to go: So far, Coco & Gigi.
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