They say everything is bigger in Texas, and Del Shores’ Sordid Lives goes big—big hair, big personalities, big problems, and big laughs. The MT Pockets production of this black comedy about white trash brought a bit of Texas to the West Virginia stage. The play revolves around the funeral for Peggy Ingram, an elderly woman …
Stella & Lou, by Bruce Graham–21 Aug. 2016
When you have a good script and very good actors, community theatre can produce some really special moments. And that’s precisely what happened at MT Pocket’s production of Bruce Graham’s Stella & Lou, directed by Vickie Trickett. With a funny, heart-breaking story, and three wonderful performers, the production was a treat. Stella & Lou focuses …
Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare–17 July 2016
As everyone knows, Romeo & Juliet is the greatest love story ever told. Officially. Of course, the reality of the play is slightly less romantic and more teen suicide-y, but such is life. Or death, in Romeo and Juliet’s case. One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo & Juliet tells the story of two young …
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Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare–10 July 2016
This review starts with the same disclaimer as my last Rustic Mechanicals review: I really like the project of a dedicated Shakespeare touring troupe for West Virginia. I find their mission basically admirable. Their performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was better than their productions of The Tempest or Much Ado About Nothing, so I was …
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Fat Pig, by Neil Labute–27 June 2016
I’ve seen two productions of Neil Labute’s The Shape of Things, but this was the first time I had seen Fat Pig (or any other Labute play) produced. Labute seems to be a playwright of odd, dysfunctional relationships and the difficulty of finding genuine connections with people in a society that values people for their …
Pillow Talk, by Peter Tolan–21 May 2016
Peter Tolan’s Pillow Talk is a fun little comedy that explores the contours of sexuality and anxiety in modern US culture. The play spends one night with Aaron (Sean Marko) and Doug (Mack Kale Jr.) as they share a bed on the first night of their cross-country road trip. While both men are heterosexual, their …
Over Before It Began, by Travis Teffner–21 May 2016
The MAC produced the opening run of Travis Teffner’s Over Before It Began, which unfortunately seems more like a decision based on the close working relationship between Teffner, David Beach (who directed), and the MAC, than a reflection of the quality of the play itself. The acting was fine, but the play itself is plagued …
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Walter Cronkite is Dead, by Joe Calarco–1 May 2016
The MAC production of Joe Calarco’s Walter Cronkite is Dead was spectacular. The acting was superb, and the play shifted deftly between laugh out loud funny (and I rarely laugh in the theatre) and deep sadness. Directed by David Beach, the show was great. The play is about two women, Margaret (Cindy Ulrich) and Patty …
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The Tempest, by William Shakespeare–20 Apr. 2016
First, I want to say that I am a bad reviewer of The Tempest because I have very definite ideas about how it should be performed, particularly how Caliban should be portrayed. Second, I want to say that I genuinely believe in the project of the Rustic Mechanicals, which is to bring Shakespeare’s works to …
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Dancing at Lughnasa, by Brian Friel–3 Apr. 2016
Brian Friel is one of Ireland’s greatest contemporary dramatists. I’ve read several of his plays, and seen a production of Faith Healer a few years ago. So when M.T. Pockets Theatre announced they were producing Dancing at Lughnasa, I was keen on the prospect. Friel, like many other contemporary Irish playwrights, challenges stereotypes and idealizations …
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Phillip Zapkin 