[theatre]

Two for One:
Guerilla Theatre presents a comedy/drama duo

By: Susan Zedella

Two thousand and eight has been the year to go green—never before has saving the Earth been so trendy. In completely unexpected places, such as the Philadelphia Eagles Web site, reminders are popping up about the importance of caring for our planet. Recycling has apparently even spread to the movie industry, with this month’s big release of The Incredible Hulk. As a re-boot of Hulk from 2003, I have been left wondering, How many times does this story need to be reused? I mean, I’m all about recycling, and the Hulk clearly has no problems with going green, but aren’t we tired of seeing the same old stories being retold?

With this idea in mind, I was excited about Guerilla Theatre’s latest production, “Portfolio Works,” by local author John Grudzien. It is easy to look forward to viewing plays at the Guerilla’s home at the Brown Coat Pub and Theater. It has been open as a full-service bar for several weeks, and when it comes to presenting a night of original and “unrecycled” theatre, Grudzien and the Guerillas do not disappoint.

“Portfolio Works” consists of two separate one-hour plays, divided by a 15-minute intermission. “Our mission is really to entertain and engage the audience,” Grudzien stated. “You get two plays for the price of one.” Each of the plays runs approximately one hour long, offering the audience the unique opportunity to experience two different genres of theatre in one night.

The set, created by local artist Bruce Bowman, creates a lovely backdrop for both shows. Bowman created a series of paintings that are utilized as the set, using vibrant eye-catching colors and strong lines. The canvasses themselves piece together to form portraits of the settings for the two plays. This causes the actors to be immersed in the artwork and appear as part of the paintings. Combined with subtle lighting effects and music underscoring, the plays take on a cinematic feel, like that of two prime time television sitcom episodes.
Grudzien describes the first play, “Grinzing,” as light-hearted. He explained, “I wanted to entertain the audience this time around.”

The play tells the story of Martin and Barbara, who are vacationing in Vienna, Austria, when they awake to find they are 40 years younger than they were when they went to sleep. Their feelings run the gamut, from excitement to confusion to fear, as they explore the possible causes of their age reversal.

“Grinzing” may best be described as cute. It is indeed light-hearted and a bit silly. I felt that it took on the story line of a fantasy, not just a comedy, involving spells, curses, magic and gypsies. The story is not believable, but with the acceptance that the suspension of one’s sense of disbelief is necessary, it is certainly entertaining.

Martin and Barbara (Jeff Boardman and Leah Marie Parker) are adorable as the younger versions of their senior selves, as they discover that the return of their youth also causes the return of their sexual virility. Suzanne Nystrom and Randall Lucas portray the wacky gypsies who may be the cause for the age reversal.

While Martin admits that “being young again is a pretty nice problem to have,” the fear of losing their older friends, social security and relationship with their grandkids makes the idea of spontaneous youth not so appealing.

The second play switches into drama gear. “In The Rain” reveals the tale of three strangers who meet, clash and share their secrets when they become trapped in a library during a rain storm. This was definitely my favorite of the two, and I felt that it really “clicked” with its audience.

What I found most surprising about this drama was that it was funnier than the preceding comedy. There were several laugh-out-loud moments. What made “In the Rain” both touching and humorous was its honesty. Grudzien does a beautiful job of creating well-developed characters, and forming a palpable relationship between them and the audience.

“In the Rain” utilizes an interesting concept that Grudzien read about in a newspaper: a pilot program at a public library that is referred to as “Lending Library People.“ Library patrons are able to “check out” a person who is an expert in his or her field. However, the “expert,” Dennis, shamefully admits to patron Michael that he recently lost his job and is therefore an expert at nothing.

The unlikely friendship that forms between Dennis (Boardman) and Michael (Lucas) is beautiful. It serves as a reminder to slow down and not be so caught up in our own personal lives that we cannot take the time to listen to those around us. As Grudzien stated, “It’s about hope, wherever or however we might find it.”

“Portfolio Works” will continue June 5th-7th at 8pm. Performances are at the Brown Coat Pub and Theatre, 111 Grace Street. Tickets are available at www.guerillatheatre.com.