There may be no more appropriately titled skit for the upcoming Allen Community College drama production than a one-act play directed by Yates Center’s Carolyn Appleton — “The Some of All Parts.”
Appleton’s piece — a story about a man, his girlfriend and his missing libido — is one of six student-directed one-acts that run Thursday.
And while each of the six pieces has a decidedly different plots (and tones, for that matter) they combine to bring a delightfully entertaining night of drama and comedy to the stage.
The one-acts run at 7:30 tonight, Friday and Saturday at the Allen Theatre. Tickets sell at the door for $5 apiece. Allen students will be admitted free of charge.
THE SHOW opens with “My Dinner With Rocco,” directed by the incomparable Judd Wiltse.
In it, a pair of old-style gangsters — Brendan Rogers as Anthony and Hayden Hermann as the titular Rocco — are discussing the trials and tribulations of the mob life. More specifically, Anthony is bemoaning how a downturn in the economy has affected his livelihood.
With their thick Italian accents and witty dialogue, Rogers and Hermann are a delight. Parker Smith, as Frankie Two Shoes, also has had to resort to unusual extremes to make ends meet.
NEXT up is the aforementioned “The Some of All Parts.”
Jonathan (Bobby Whitsell) and Margaret (Kaitlyn Hanks) are in the early stages of what seems to be a promising relationship, with one notable exception — Jonathan has zero interest in any kind of physical relationship.
There’s a reason for that. It turns out he was born separated from his libido, played to perfection by Austin Wickwire.
And while Whitsell and Hanks are impeccable as the star-crossed lovers, Wickwire is laugh-out-loud brilliant as Jonathan’s libido, throwing caution to the wind for the sake of passion.
“SACRIFICES,” directed by Kathryn Woodruff, takes on a decidedly more somber tone.
It starts innocently enough. Woodruff, Gabriella Fast and the aforementioned Appleton are gathered for what appears to be a slumber party.
As the audience soon realizes, this isn’t your typical slumber party. Rather, the threesome embody the spirits of Greek women who have been sacrificed for one reason or another. And the topic of their “gab-fest,” centers on a predictable theme: boys suck.
Adding to their heartfelt confusion surrounding why they were chosen to be sacrificed is the arrival of another spirit, deftly played by Zohreyha Masuch, who explains that things back at home may not have been what they seemed — and how their deaths affected those they left behind.
BACK TO THE comedy in a big way is “The Presentation,” directed by Julius Hodges.
