In its 20 year history, City Theater Company has had a tradition of putting on 10-minute, usually comic, plays, going back to its early days in O’Friel’s pub. The 10-minute plays not only showcase a selection the company’s performers, they also showcase local play writing talent — something you don’t see a lot of at any of Delaware’s non-school-based theatrical companies. BEST OF 2.0 takes eight of CTC’s favorite 10-minute plays and puts them together with mini-musical comedy skits, for a fast-paced and fun production.
While CTC’s current trend in their full productions is to take well-known shows like GYPSY and “City-Theater” them up (a nice alternative to doing shows that are quirky/edgy out of the box), BEST OF 2.0 shows the roots of the small “Off-Off Broadway” theater, with small-bites that are at times silly, sometimes shocking, and very often dark. Take “Voodoo Barbie” by George Tietz, where a little girl takes control of her parents’ dysfunctional divorce wil dolls, or “Crash Positions” by Jon Dorf, that takes place as a commercial airplane is crashing — and, yes, both are very funny. “Embed with You” by George Tietz plays out like a Mel Brooks movie, and “Green Eggs and Mamet” by Matt Casarino is a rapid-fire, obscenity-riddled mash of Dr. Seuss and David Mamet. As usual with CTC, if you’re faint of heart or easily offended, you may want to take a pass. Otherwise, these short plays are a great way to see some CTC history, and support locally-created art.
The plays are just one element: in between each one, the minimalist set changes and segues into the new play are done with choreographed mini-sketches that are just as entertaining as the plays.
If you’ve been to CTC before, you’ll likely recognize at least some of the players, including Dylan Geringer, Melissa Bernard, Kerry Kristine McElrone, Jim Burns, George Tietze, and Patrick Hunt O’Hara (who seems to be everywhere). The laid-back stage setup, with three rows of seating on three sides of the stage, works well — it’s not a show that demands a super-creative setup, it’s basically City Theater stripped down to its (20th) birthday suit.
BEST OF 2.0
Directed by Michael Gray
January 31 – February 8, 2014
City Theater Company
OPERADELAWARE Studios
4 South Poplar Street,
Wilmington DE 19801
302-220-8285
http://city-theater.org
City Theater Company
Review submitted by:
Holly Quinn
Author’s Bio:
