Barrington Stage, Pittsfield, MA
through March 1, 2015
by Shera Cohen
Heavy snow (hmm, sounds familiar) postponed my attending
opening weekend.
Fortunately, Barrington and I rescheduled. All worked out well, as last
Sunday was a balmy 38 degrees in Pittsfield. Recent journeys up north in the
past few months by several Spotlight writers substantiate the fact that the
Berkshires do NOT close their doors in December and reopen in May. Apparently,
lots of other theatre goers know this, because there was not a single empty
seat in the theatre.
10x10 is a jam-packed two-hours of near rapid-fire
mini-plays. Each “playette” (is that a word?) is complete and not connected to
any of the other plays. The six actors (three men, three women) double as stage
crew.
The playwrights are experienced with resumes to prove it, as
are the actors who are all Equity except for one. This is a very talented
sextet who work well as an ensemble.
Most of the plays in Act I are comedies. Act II provides
some drama. The stories feature just two characters for the most part. One play
immediately follows another, no curtain calls, just next, next, and next.
Certainly, it is impossible to enjoy all ten plays. Out of
my own seven “nominees,” one comedy and one drama tie for “best play.” Sorry, I
can’t help the analogy to the Oscars, aired later that same day.
The plot of “Mandate,” by Kelly Younger, is a very funny
forced “bromance” by the wives of two disparate men who have just met. One man
begs to be the other’s BFF. The humor oozes from the awkwardness.
Playwright James McLindon’s “Broken” pits two political
prisoners in one small cell. The situation, the place, the era do not matter.
It’s raw and dramatic.
You might think...a play that’s only 10 minutes? How good
could it be? When 10 minutes is all you need, it can be very good at Barrington
Stage.
