WEEK 4 ENDS WITH LAUGHS AT PNWF

F. J. Hartland

The 20^th Anniversary Season of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival ends with laughs.

The bill of one-acts begins with Take Two Aspirins and Call Me in the Morning by Geoffrey Craig.  It’s a one-woman show that allows Arlene Merryman to give a tour-de-force performance as Lily Montgomery, a playwright who has fallen and broken her leg.  Trapped in her New York City apartment, her cell phone is her only lifeline.  Merryman plays not only Montgomery, but all the people she encounters on the telephone: her leading actor, her ex-husband, her son, her doctor, a nurse, several client representatives, etc.The gimmick of having Merrymen play both sides of the conversations is confusing at first.  Why does she do some of the voice herself and why are others recorded?  Nonetheless, Merryman does a wonderful job portraying a myriad of personalities.  Director Allison M. Weakland (and playwright Craig) should think about editing the script.  If it were tighter, it would be even funnier.

Sandwiched in between two comedies is Fortune Teller by George J. Bryjak.  A couple seeks out a fortune teller to tell them what’s become of their soldier son.  The husband is a believer; the wife is not.

Directors Clyde Adams and Naomi Grodin keep the repetitive story moving.  The very talented actors Bill Creen and Sandy Boggs are somewhat trapped in playing the one-dimensional husband and wife.  Playwright Bryjak forces them to have the same argument over and over again.  Grodin does not resort to caricature as the fortune teller; instead, she gives a subtle and understated performance.

The funniest play of the evening (and perhaps the entire four week Festival) is Drop It by Mike Rubino.  Set in a coffee shop, Anthony Mahramus (as Kurt)  and James Michael Shoberg (as Rob)  play two loser buddies, who attempt to end Kurt’s problems in the romance department.  The two men form the perfect comedy duo.  They are both unlike in comedic style and in size, but together Mahramus and Shoberg have real chemistry and play off each other.  They “click.”  Their work—along with that of director Rob Gorman—turn Drop It into some of the biggest belly laughs of the evening!

Week 4 of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival continues through October 3.