Full disclosure: I know two of the following three playwrights discussed here so well that in years past I’ve spent Christmas Day with each of them. The other one? Well, he’s never invited me over, but he is also considered a friend.
A new year and new season is always something to look forward to at Key City Public Theatre, and this year’s 14th Annual Playwrights’ Festival did not disappoint. All together, these three shows combined strike a beautiful balance of accessibility and the abstract as well as humor and drama that makes for a night of theater anyone at any level of theatrical sophistication can enjoy.
On opening night, we began with David Schroeder’s “Belief,” a touching and humorous story about a comic superhero’s creators and readers that asks the question, “Can you believe something if you want to?”
I had all but forgotten about the letters section of a certain unnamed comic book, and how much fun the letters were, until I saw this piece. At long last I know where “Superhero” puts his street clothes when he changes into his alter ego.
In “Belief,” Iain Coates and Colin Coker are spot-on as the hopeful “little brother” and cynical “big brother,” and Ian Keith as the “old writer” and Murren Kennedy as “young writer” play well off each other, too. Not quite so believable, but adequate, were Zach NeSmith as a “dad” and David Alvarez as an “editor.”
Will this play appeal to those born after the 10-cent comic heyday? I don’t know, but it’s definitely a solid piece of writing.
Next was DD Wigley’s “Mickey,” starring Freeman Luoma as the title character – a homeless young man who befriends Soldier Joe (Mickey McKinney) and lives on a rooftop with Sally (Susan Pratt). Here, we explore loneliness and the impulse to tell your own story to anyone or anything that will listen. This heartbreaking story is made even more poignant with tension-building music, a masterful stroke added by the director of all three plays, Heidi Heimarck, who almost exclusively brings new work to the stage. In this piece, her experience coupled with DD Wigley’s writing make for a fine, yet troubling, piece about life on the street – or rooftop, as it were.
Only one complaint, though, from me, the Virgo-an stickler for details: Aren’t homeless people supposed to be a bit more, um, dirty? I have sat in the front row more than once and been subjected to actors under bright lights who don’t believe in antiperspirant. In this case, I would have expected that or, at the very least, some dirt smudges. As it was, I wanted to take home Sally’s multi-colored cardigan sweater and hang it in my own closet.
Nonetheless, Luoma, despite his clean duds and ’do, was brilliant in his role, which I understand he stepped into at the last minute when another actor flaked out. (You know who you are; shame on you!) Luoma took a giant leap forward with his talent in this role and deserves a lot of applause for it.
After the intermission came “The Farm in the Neighborhood,” written by Susan Solley. Now I happen to know that this is only the second play Solley has ever written. The first was rejected in the prior year’s festival competition as “bad film noir.” In spite of that, Solley preserved over the year to become a better writer, it paid off, and I, as her friend and critic (an interesting position to be in, I assure you), am awfully proud of her for that.
“Farm” has all of the elements of a good production – believable characters played by whip-smart actors (Jesse Wiegel, Amanda Steurer, Erin Lamb, Rebecca May, Michael Cavett and Murren Kennedy), witty dialogue that snaps like bubble wrap, and story development that delivers both transformation and twist.
Here, Solley took timely subjects and meshed them together in a way that many can relate to. Warning: Food Co-op members who take themselves too seriously should just stay home and let the rest of us laugh good-naturedly at Solley’s riff on your/our lifestyle.
Of particular note in this show is Steurer’s acting (developed at two prestigious New York schools), which flip-flopped back and forth between the dramatic and comedic faster than Apolo Ohno’s Olympic medal chances in the 1,500-meter race.
Catch these three shows at Key City Playhouse, 419 Washington St., continuing through Feb. 28. General admission for Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. is $18; Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. are $15. All other shows are $10; students pay $10 at all shows. A pay-what-you-wish performance is Thursday, Feb. 18. Advance tickets are available at Quimper Sound, 230 Taylor St., or by calling 379-0195 with a debit or credit card.
The festival is generously sponsored by John L. Scott Real Estate Port Townsend and Teresa Goldsmith. For information about other festival events, visit keycitypublictheatre.org.
