Bad Date Theater

Misfit Productions presents "Bad Date Theater" at the Adams with five short plays: two Christopher Durangs, two Shel Silversteins, and a John Guare. All the plays offer a different look at our celebration of Valentines Day. Excepting the Guare, the productions are directed by Misfit's artistic director, Fred Tracey.

Durang's 1-900-Desperate: Gretchen (Spring Roney) is home alone on date night. Bored out of her mind, she does what any self-respecting young lady would do: she dials 1-900-Desperate for the conversation of a lifetime. Alas, she is connected by Party Line Operator (Julio C. Mas) to Sally (Deborah Wenck), Zelda (Jennifer Strach), five-year-old Billy (Collin McConnell), and Scuzzy (David M. Roberts). This becomes the party line from hell. Little Billy talks about his new red wagon, while his parents watch television in the living room. Zelda and Sally create more mayhem. Then Scuzzy gets on the line. David M. Roberts appears to be type cast again as a guy in heat with, what seems to be, all the right words.

Naomi in the Living Room: Deborah Wenck returns as Naomi, the bit deranged mother of cross- dressing John (John Barnes) who is visiting with his wife Johnna (Tanya Johnson). The young couple recently lost their five children in an automobile accident. Each actor has a special moment of near insanity. Wenck's is a tour de force of psychological disorders, Johnson's character is forced into an array of emotions, while Barnes is a delight as a mimic.

Thinking Up A New Name For the Act: This is the first of the two back-to-back Shel Silverstein offerings. Only he could create a multi-scene play using three words. The three words are "Meat and Potato(es)." Yes, a whole play with three words. Under the excellent talents of scene openers Spring Roney, as Lucy, and David M. Roberts, as Pete, the action and intent is quite clear. We follow an intense story from first meeting to criminal trial and execution with the added participation of Sir Jonathan Oliver, Collin McConnell, Julio C. Mas, and Deborah Wenck.

The Best Daddy: A Silverstein look at the relationship between a strange father (David M. Roberts) and his daughter (Jennifer Strach) on her thirteen birthday. Be assured, nobody deserves a father like this one.

The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year: John Guare offers a look at two lost souls in search for what, for them, is impossible. Directed by and starring Jonathan Sturch along with Dawn Marie Himlin, the play focuses on a young lady recently arriving in the big city and a young married man out on his Sunday walk -- his time to get away from his tyrannical wife and children. There is an attraction between them. Herein lies the problem. The answer is certainly enough to garner Misfit Production's title of "Bad Date Theater."

Misfit's strangely interesting evening of theater, while not traditional, offers the audience an opportunity to see seldom-performed, eccentric one-acts.