Theater Review—

‘One Acts 2012’ Done Well At Theater Barn

By Julie Stern

RIDGEFIELD — When the January 21 snowstorm cancelled any thought of a trip to Ridgefield, and thus my  usual time to review the Theater Barn’s annual presentation of a collection of one act plays,  publicity director Paulette Layton urged me to reschedule, and come later in the run, because “they were so good!” So, having an open Friday night the following week later, I reluctantly agreed… and am delighted to say that Paulette was right!

There were seven short plays, featuring three playwrights, four directors, and 15 actors. The sets were rudimentary, and the costumes minimal. The impact came from the sheer talent on display: that of the writers, who created this mix of hilarity and pathos, the performers who interpreted it, and perhaps above all, the directors who guided them so deftly.

Jim Gordon was the most widely represented, with four plays including two of my personal favorites: Fog and Drinks With Charles.

Set in the dementia ward of a nursing home, Fog featured Karen Pope Olshansky as Agnes, a reluctant resident, recalling her life with her long dead husband, and her regrets at not having children. She delivered her monologue to Jon Barb, who played a mute and practically catatonic inmate.

Their encounter, shaped by director Marla Manning, allowed for some fine acting on both parts, but nothing prepares you for the shock of the surprise ending.

As directed by Sarah Lee Michaels, the second Gordon one-act is a highly satisfying revenge fantasy, in which two members of the ninety-nine percent have a chance to get back at a Madoff-like “investment counselor.”

David Cohen’s play, Paul’s Painted Ladies allowed Harry Lipstein to deliver a very funny account of how and why he lost his job as head of security at the Met.

Untitled, another Gordon play, had Jennifer Gantwerker and Paulette Layton as two aggressively opinionated women arguing about the meaning of an abstract painting by Paul Pretentious- who shows up at the end to confound them both with an unexpected decision.

Carol Mark directed two of her own plays to complete the bill: Never Too Many, which tracks a wistful last encounter between Sarah Cole as Alice, a young dog walker, and Barry Corn as Saul, the elderly proprietor of a video store who has spent years sharing his considerable knowledge of movies with her and is now prepared to offer more meaningful advice before he retires to Florida; and Shakespeare on a Shoestring Presents Romeo and Juliet, which explains that for budgetary reasons, the Ridgefield outreach theater program designed to bring Shakespeare to the masses, was forced to forego professional actors and staging and will now feature four inmates from the FCI, presenting a 90-second condensed version of Romeo and Juliet (done as a rap, no less). I particularly enjoyed seeing Jon Barb (the elderly man in Fog) as a tie-dyed biker in a fright wig playing Juliet.

Julia Frisoli, Lee Ann Levi Miller, Adam Glatzl, Pattie Holzhauer, Alisa Pruner, Gus Zucco, Stephen Saxton and Tony Bruno rounded out the cast, all of them doing a fine job.

It was good to see a full house at the Barn,  and the audience was definitely having a good time. There is one more week left on the run. If you’re free next Friday or Saturday, why not take your picnic and get down to Ridgefield. The weather promises to be good, and the entertainment certainly will be.

(Remaining performances are Friday and Saturday, February 3-4. All tickets are $22.

See the Enjoy Calendar, in print and online, for additional information.)