Photographer: Tracy Mendy
Larry Buzzeo and Matthew Stabile in Game On.
It’s more interesting some times to see a collection of short plays then a long-form theatrical piece. The refreshing part is that you are treated to a number of different playwright’s point of views, varied approaches to directing, and, in the best cases, watch an ensemble of actors who are able to stretch their acting muscles in various incarnations in the course of an evening.
In addition to some great comedic and soul-searching dramatic moments, Island City Stage and City Theater’s presentation of Shorts Gone Wild 2 covers all bases. And while most of the plays in Shorts are LGBT-themed, there’s nothing that won’t hit a universal chord.
Pretty much adopting the same format that it outlined for its first Shorts last summer, six plays (this year there’s a bit of a, shall we say, introduction) get selected randomly by people plucked from the audience. The segues in-between have a nice improvisational comedy type vibe as the ensemble chit-chats about goings on both inside the theater and their lives away from the ghost lamp. There’s a running gag that one of the actors Matt Staible has been getting phone calls from a woman named Cheryl and Matt’s actress wife and fellow cast member, Niki Fridh (yes, that’s his wife in real life) is not too happy about it. The theme pops in and out of the show as a bit of a callback.
The short bridge that gets the audience warmed up for the evening of short plays is The Emperor is Naked by Michael Leeds (who also directs one of the best short plays of the night; more on that later), and also carries through this "uh-oh, Matt’s been caught on the phone again." It seems that Matt is running late, so the cast is scurrying around trying to bide some time. Using the play-within-a-play device, the fourth wall is broken down as the actors get ready for The Emperor play. The audience is privy to the conversations and the nervousness as we are all seated, but as time passes, the cast continues to become unglued.
Photographer: Tracy Mendy
Renee Elizabeth Turner and Niki Fridh in A Bump Between Friends.
In addition to one of them running late, props have been changed or removed at the last minute, and an even bigger issue looms: how to ensure that the King’s jewels will remain covered throughout since the play calls for him to be stark naked. Craig Moody as the King is a good sport, having to negotiate a long maiden’s hat, a set-piece box and other various items to keep his privates, well, private. Leeds milks the gag. "Why are you holding a plant?" one of the players asks. "It’s a penile implant."
Then the Shorts games begin and the first number is pulled out of the magic hat.
Here’s the order from opening night.
Niki Fridh and Renée Elizabeth Turner are two old friends who meet for lunch in A Bump Between Friends, Fielding Edlow’s play about a long-lost love. Turns out Mia (Fridh) has gotten involved with Lexi’s (Turner) old flame and now the sparks are flying. Turner owns this one as the friendly pal who shows up for lunch, then her mood sudden takes a sharp turn.
Photographer: Tracy Mendy
Both photos, from left to right: Gladys Ramirez, Craig Moody, Matthew Stabile, Renee Elizabeth Turner, Larry Buzzeo and Niki Fridh in The Last Time I Saw Bathhouse Betty.
Michael McKeever tells the real tale of Oz’s Cowardly Lion in Lion in a Bear Bar, a clever take on celebrity, or former celebrity. Larry Buzzeo is the lion (he goes by the initials C.L. now) whose real life story wasn’t really told in that movie, or so he says. Now he’s dealing with relationship issues, a cheating boyfriend (Stabile), and trying to get up his noive. Leeds keeps the pace moving just enough to keep the faux realism of the story intacdt, and it’s a good choice. The action takes place at The Leather Munchkin, where Jonas (Moody) keeps the drinks flowing..
Christopher Demos-Brown’s I Alone is a thoughtfully woven meditation on perceptions and acceptance. Ben (Buzzeo) and Frank (Moody) meet at their high school reunion, but as the years have passed something has changed. The audience is let in on the memories and thoughts going on in the minds of the characters through alter egos (Frank’s is played by Gladys Ramirez, Stabile is Ben’s memory). It’s one of the more introspective of the shorts that lightly tackles transgender issues and is delicately directed by Island City Stage’s artistic director Andy Rogow.
Many of the plays seemed to have a theme of the past catching up with a character or two, causing them to soul search, question, or possible make right with either their past or future. And the next two seem to cross each others’ paths in this way.
Glamping finds Miles (Moody) and his girlfriend Kate (Ramirez) on a camping expedition. Glamping refers to the new luxury glamorous camping adventures, yet this one is anything but. The nature trip is to attend someone from Kate’s past, a former lover. It turns out, it was a woman. Written by Carey Grim and directed by Teddy Harrell, the play examines Miles’ questions about his own ability to satisfy Kate and when the past really becomes the past.
Sarah Stein Sends a Selfie, another play by the prolific McKeever, is another soul searcher, yet this one is shrouded in plenty of comedy. Fridh as Sarah wakes up after a drunken night — how did an empty Kahlua bottle get in her bed? After she realizes she’s sent a nude selfie to her best friend’s mother, there’s more than a revealing photo to tackle on the day of her wedding. Gladys (Ramirez) is the best friend/bridesmaid caught in the crossfire of Sarah’s emotions. Fridh plays the shock of discovering her selfie night with the requisite amped up horror, but it’s her dramatic turn at the end that shows the actress’s wonderful range.
Playwright Gary Garrison tackles homophobia, sexual orientation and gender identity in Game On. When Ted (Stabile) posts a personal ad looking for a "straight acting" date, he ends up meeting the responder to his post, the anything but "straight acting" Donnie (Buzzeo). There are lessons to be learned about acceptance and prejudice in this short play that’s loud and clear about its message.
Photographer: Tracy Mendy
Gladys Ramirez, Craig Moody, Matthew Stabile, Renee Elizabeth Turner, Larry Buzzeo and Niki Fridh in The Last Time I Saw Bathhouse Betty.
The night closed (could this really have been by chance as it was the perfect closer?) with Tony Finstrom’s The Last Time I Saw Bathhouse Betty, which brings together the entire ensemble for a throwback to the 1970s, Halloween, 1972, specifically, where the Divine Miss M is performing her last show. Will she or won’t she? Will the Drag Queen (Fridh) get to star in her place? Will Eric (Moody) be able to maintain his anonymity? Will Jack (Stabile) get to stay awhile or will his wife (Ramirez) make him leave? And will Frank (Buzzeo) get the magazine cover story he needs? Finstrom’s over-the-top comedy is nothing short of a wild ride.
It’s difficult to find short plays that can hang together for a cohesive night, but Island City Stage and its partner City Theater have done the trick, hitting a summer home run.
Island City Stage-City Theater production Shorts Gone Wild at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Dr., Fort Lauderdale. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday, through Sept. 7. Island City Stage-City Theater production at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Dr., Fort Lauderdale. 954-519-2533, www.islandcitystage.com or www.citytheater.com.
