June 26 to 29, 2008 Broward Center for the Performing Arts - Amaturo Theater, Fort Lauderdale
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S4K! at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts June 12 to 22, 2008 S4K! at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts June 26 to 29, 2008 |
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Theater Surreally Good
you’ll rarely be thinking about the next play because you’ll be enjoying whatever you’re watching. The thread running through both programs is surrealism, with a strong dose of relationship drama. There’s a lethal dress (96 Stitches, by Sarah Hammond), a woman obsessed with grizzly bears (What I Learned From Grizzly Bears, by Jessica Lind), a teen who can predict the future (Suspension, by William Orem), a levitating boy (Practicing, by Rinne Groff), a superhero fantasy (I Am Not Batman by Marco Ramirez), and Munchkins (yes, Munchkins) confronted with a question of morality (Splat! by Michael McKeever). These subjects make the homicidal prom girls in Ron Bobby Had Too Big a Heart by Rolin Jones feel almost like a slice of life. And while there are several plays that illuminate relationships, including Uprising, by Susan J. Westfall, in which a mom tells her daughter about how the girl’s grandmother survived the Holocaust, Summer Shorts also has its share of plays that are over the top and hysterical, including The Sons of Mickey by Jim Fitzmorris, about what happens when a man obsessed with the Magic Kingdom gets an elaborate, unlicensed Disney-esque tattoo; Donde Esta Pedro Mano? by Monserrat Mendez, a send-up of telenovelas; and the aforementioned Splat!. Summer Shorts, now in its 12th year, has survived its move from the Ring Theatre on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables to the Studio Theater in Carnival Center in downtown Miami. The in-the-round staging of the plays in the Studio Theater’s ample space never feels gimmicky and serves the plays well. The actors have more room to move and expand, and they fill the theater with stunning performances. Each of the nine cast members creates a variety of characters. Kameshia Duncan and Ceci Fernandez make a delightful duo in two plays, first as a teen version on Thelma and Louise and then as a pair of soapy Latinas. Tom Wahl brings animated energy to his role as a man who suffers dire consequences for his love of Disney, and an odd matter-of-fact quality to his role as a baseball fan who keeps getting hit with foul balls (Foul Territory, by Craig Wright). Stephen Trovillion, who has been part of the Summer Shorts ensemble for 10 seasons, brings a wry wit to his characters, which include an airline passenger sure the plane he’s about to board is going to crash (Ambivalent, by Joshua James) and a Munchkin named Larry. Bechir Sylvain is poignant in his rambling monologue as a boy obsessed with Batman. Erik Fabregat goes from the strutting picture of machismo to a dyslexic guy’s guy (Angle of Attack, by John Walch) in two of Program B’s most memorable performances. The Summer Shorts team behind the scenes brings depth and texture to each play. Steve Shapiro’s sound design includes bizarre covers of classic songs between the plays, like the lounge lizard version of the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Erin Amico’s whimsical costumes range from blood-splattered prom dresses to Munchkin get-ups. Melissa Santiago’s lighting also doubles as special effects. Michael Amico’s scenic design is clever and inventive and works in the round.
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