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A CurtainUp Review
3C
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"So, whatcha doing?"—Brad "Going to the Peter Frampton Concert with George."—Connie 'Who’s George? Is that your boyfriend? —Brad "I just met him on the sidewalk."—Connie "Just now?—Brad "Yeah. "—Connie "You must really like Peter Frampton."—Brad "No, I just get lonely and needy. Oh, well, hope I don’t get raped!”Connie |
Jake Silbermann and Anna Chlumsky
(Photo by Joan Marcus) |
Yet, the red Solo cups and pizza boxes that litter the set, and the used condom found on the couch soon tip us off that this trio is not the happy-go-lucky California household of television’s yesteryear. Everyone in this group has a secret, a big one, which tends to distract them at the most inopportune, and consequently, funniest time. They may drop their conversation and stare into thin air, or take extended refuge in the apartment’s record player and their latest disco moves.
The most amusing character is Eddie Cahill’s Terry, Brad’s buddy and wingman, who takes the disco stereotype to the nth degree, thanks to Oana Betz’s clever costume design. 3C is not always but is often hilarious. Mimicking what made Three’s Company funny, its most comical gag is an extended one based on an absurd verbal misunderstanding.
Despite the constant and entertainingly absurd humor, Mr. Adjmi’s play goes a little deeper in its second act, and picks up. Mr. Silbermann, as Jake, gives us perhaps the best window into the anxiety and trauma that all three roommates grapple with in their private lives. A sexually questioning Viet Nam veteran, Jake endures vicious gay jokes from Mr. Wicker and is so self-loathing in a closeted time that he even participates in those jokes to gain the boor’s favor.
At its best, 3C searches for and finds something profound, troubling, and the laughs we get might often make us more than a little queasy.
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3C By David Adjmi Directed by Jackson Gay Cast: Kate Buddeke (Mrs. Wicker), Bill Buell (Mr. Wicker), Hannah Cabell (Linda), Eddie Cahill (Terry), Anna Chlumsky (Connie), Jake Silbermann (Brad) Scenic Design: John McDermott Costume Design: Oana Botez Lighting Design: Tyler Micoleau Sound Design: Matt Tierney Choreography: Deney Terrio Hair & Makeup Design: Jon Carter Producer: piece by piece productions, Rising Phoenix Repertory and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Production Manager: Eugenia Furneaux Production Stage Manager: Tom Taylor Running Time: Ninety minutes, no intermission Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, Greenwich Village, www. Rattlestick.org From June 6 – July 14, 2012 ; opening June 21, 2012 Performance schedule : Mondays – Thursdays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. Reviewed by William Coyle, based on the June 18, 2012 performance REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. Visit Curtainup's Blog Annex For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter Subscribe to our FREE email updates: E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message. If you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
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