Guerilla Theatre
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| The Brown Coat Pub & Theatre 111 Grace Street Wilmington, NC (910)-233-9914 |
Also Happening at The Brown Coat Pub & Theatre!
| So You Think You're Funny? Amateur Comedy Competition Every Wednesday Night at 10PM! Lucy's Sexy SciFi Trivia Every Thursday at 10PM! Hosted by Lucy Spain Star of Zombie Cheerleader Camp Port City Prostitute |
WORLD PREMIERE!
8/21 8/22 8/23
8PM 8PM 8PM
8PM 8PM 8PM
Open Mic Music Night
Every Monday
10PM
Every Monday
10PM
Bring Your Own Records!
Sid Davis
August 22 & 23
10PM
August 22 & 23
10PM
Tainted love: Local playwrights explore breakups, deadly relationships
By John Staton
It's kind of amusing and ironic that Do Not Resuscitate, Guerilla
Theatre's production of absurdist one-acts, is billed as "Two Love
Plays." They're about love, all right, but not in a way that'll make you feel
warm and fuzzy inside. The plays will make you think, though, which
might be even better.
'Welcome to Breakup Island!'
If you've ever broken up with someone or been on the receiving end,
you'll be able to relate. Germaine (the steady, empathetic Amber
Davis) has just split with her unseen boyfriend, who, as the play
begins, melodramatically hands over from offstage a box of everything
she's ever given him.
Germaine's in the dumps, but as she listens to advice from sass-
spouting co-worker Ferg (Leslie Wiltshire, overflowing with scene-
stealing awesomeness) the scene gradually shifts into something
decidedly more bizarre. A frog-man (the lithe Hal Cosec in a mask and
green leotard) pops up from the rushes and proceeds to crawl all over
the set. A foreboding man in black (Tony Moore) holding a scythe
saunters out, as does a wheezy, witchy woman using a walker (Erin
Capps). There's a crazily dressed tribal madwoman (a wonderfully no-
holds-barred Rebekah Hayler) holding two puppet heads on sticks
and spouting frantic, confidence-sapping slogans, and a stewardess-
like woman (the spot-on Kiki Martin) repeatedly asking for "tickets?
Reservations?"
Oh no! Germaine's landed on Breakup Island, where, as a hilarious,
animated short film by John Goras informs us, "It always rains and
there is no shelter."
Basically, all of this stuff is so crazy that it totally works, mainly
because of Moore's great sense of humor and director Jessica
Stinson's solid casting. Moore has an eye, and an ear, for the
ridiculous but very real feelings we all experience during breakups.
Welcome to Breakup Island! is one of the best local plays I've ever
seen in 15 years of reviewing theater in this town.
'Snake Oil'
Snake Oil is partly about the fabled female attraction to danger, or "bad
boys," a totally legit subject. But the main problem here seems to be
one of tone, which is all over the place. Where Snake Oil strives for
absurdity it often comes off as merely silly, and at other times it's just
plain confounding. Maybe Williams was going for a kind of emotional
whiplash, but if so it's anyone's guess.
There's an interesting mystery to the plot of Snake Oil, and, in regard to
both plays, it's encouraging to see local writers cranking out ambitious
work.
In that sense, Do Not Resuscitate is a breath of fresh air.
By John Staton
It's kind of amusing and ironic that Do Not Resuscitate, Guerilla
Theatre's production of absurdist one-acts, is billed as "Two Love
Plays." They're about love, all right, but not in a way that'll make you feel
warm and fuzzy inside. The plays will make you think, though, which
might be even better.
'Welcome to Breakup Island!'
If you've ever broken up with someone or been on the receiving end,
you'll be able to relate. Germaine (the steady, empathetic Amber
Davis) has just split with her unseen boyfriend, who, as the play
begins, melodramatically hands over from offstage a box of everything
she's ever given him.
Germaine's in the dumps, but as she listens to advice from sass-
spouting co-worker Ferg (Leslie Wiltshire, overflowing with scene-
stealing awesomeness) the scene gradually shifts into something
decidedly more bizarre. A frog-man (the lithe Hal Cosec in a mask and
green leotard) pops up from the rushes and proceeds to crawl all over
the set. A foreboding man in black (Tony Moore) holding a scythe
saunters out, as does a wheezy, witchy woman using a walker (Erin
Capps). There's a crazily dressed tribal madwoman (a wonderfully no-
holds-barred Rebekah Hayler) holding two puppet heads on sticks
and spouting frantic, confidence-sapping slogans, and a stewardess-
like woman (the spot-on Kiki Martin) repeatedly asking for "tickets?
Reservations?"
Oh no! Germaine's landed on Breakup Island, where, as a hilarious,
animated short film by John Goras informs us, "It always rains and
there is no shelter."
Basically, all of this stuff is so crazy that it totally works, mainly
because of Moore's great sense of humor and director Jessica
Stinson's solid casting. Moore has an eye, and an ear, for the
ridiculous but very real feelings we all experience during breakups.
Welcome to Breakup Island! is one of the best local plays I've ever
seen in 15 years of reviewing theater in this town.
'Snake Oil'
Snake Oil is partly about the fabled female attraction to danger, or "bad
boys," a totally legit subject. But the main problem here seems to be
one of tone, which is all over the place. Where Snake Oil strives for
absurdity it often comes off as merely silly, and at other times it's just
plain confounding. Maybe Williams was going for a kind of emotional
whiplash, but if so it's anyone's guess.
There's an interesting mystery to the plot of Snake Oil, and, in regard to
both plays, it's encouraging to see local writers cranking out ambitious
work.
In that sense, Do Not Resuscitate is a breath of fresh air.
| August 29th Paul Hooper |
| September 5th & 6th Skip Clark |
| September 12th & 13th Aaron Michael Fox |