L-R: Niki Fridh, Craig Moody, Christina Groom, Gladys Ramirez, Larry Buzzeo, Antonio Amadeo.
Shorts Gone Wild at Empire Stage, a co-production of Island City Stage and City Theater, is an exuberant look at eight gay themed plays. The six actors, whooping and hollering as they dance onto the stage, immediately bring an infectious sense of joy to the theater. Not that all the plays presented are riotously funny.
In a little song and dance, the order of each play is chosen by an audience member picking from a hat; I suspect a little hanky panky might be going on here. But that all adds to the fun.
Antonio Amadeo, Larry Buzzeo, Niki Fridh, Christina Groom, Craig Moody and Gladys Ramirez are the actors and all get their moments to shine.
The show opened strongly with The One, by Sheri Wilner. Antonio Amadeo is a gay man sharing his regrets while visiting his former girlfriend of four years. They are waiting for his husband-to-be to join them, but the fiancé delays his arrival with inconsequential phone calls. Amadeo is a natural actor, always realistic, never pushing and Niki Fridh in this piece matches him nuance for nuance. There are tears in the house.
Paul Rudnik's My Husband is a funny piece about a Jewish mother desperate to get her gay son married and with the ceremony featured in the New York Times. Christina Groom hits every joke right on, but her character's shrillness is a little too much. Craig Moody is the overly-mothered son.
Stuart Meltzer's Quiche and Quinoa stands out for its witty lines as Fridh and Groom hilariously one up each other. Buzzeo is the bemused spectator and Moody is the huffy waiter. A better button at the end would help the arc.
Hands by Becca Schlossberg is a dark, disturbing offering that has Moody discussing his seduction of Amadeo who flashes back to his molestation when he was seven years old. Amadeo is brilliant. And btw, is there a cooler name for an actor than Antonio Amadeo?
A thoughtful, well acted play by Michael Leeds, I'm Going First, has Amadeo and Buzzeo discussing which of them should die first as they stand outside a funeral home where the service for a friend is concluding.
Patricia Cotter's The Anthropology Section features Fridh and Ramirez, long ago lovers reuniting. But not for long.
The two all-cast shows, Tony Finstrom's Oldest Living Chorus Boy and Michael McKeever's The Agenda are the broadest of the evening.
Buzzeo is the comical chorus boy shaking in his wheel chair, reminiscing about his glory days in the chorus line while the others act out his memories. Funny, vulgar stuff with Amadeo stealing laughs as a mute Broadway producer.
The Agenda puts the full cast in a committee meeting discussing the correct initials to use when referring to various gay groups. Naturally, PC takes over and the acronyms pile to ridiculous levels, a mounting challenge to the actors and great fun to watch.
The directors are Kevin Black, Gail S. Garrisan, John Manzelli and Andy Rogow.
Peter A. Lovello designed the rainbow colored costumes, Preston Bircher the lighting, and David Hart the sound. The scenic design is by Michael McClain.
Shorts Gone Wild 3 is a satisfying, enjoyable evening. A rarity for the 10-minute play format.
Shorts Gone Wild 3 plays at the Empire Stage through Sept. 6. 1140 North Flagler Drive, Ft, Lauderdale. 954-519-2533. islandcitystage.org
