“All in the timing” to provide a variety of laughs

“All in the Timing,” a funny, contemporary, foot-in-mouth comedy will be presented September 30 through October 3 in Russell Auditorium.

The five-piece play written by David Ives centers on the hope that arises from characters who struggle through everyday occurrences of chaos and disorder.

The play, directed by Marlene Johnson, consists of five one-act plays, each ranging from 6-20 minutes long.

“It’s short, something you can take a date to and still go out afterwards,” Marlene Johnson said.

In “Sure Thing,” two strangers explore what to say over a cup of coffee. The characters struggle in their attempt to come up with the perfect conversation. Over and over, time is stalled and reversed, giving the characters a chance to relive the moment with the perfect words.

“My favorite play is ‘Sure Thing,’” said Annie Reeves, assistant stage manager and costume designer. “It’s really funny and is what always happens to me. A person always wants to take back what they say and ask, ‘why did I do that!?’”

Fans of Dr. Seuss as a child will enjoy “Universal Language.” During this play, a character makes up a fake language and offers to teach it to another person. The first person that he teaches it to is a shy, stuttering girl who hopes that this new language will help her overcome her speech impediment.

“Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread” is a parody of the composer Phillip Glass. While he is in a bakery buying a loaf of bread, he runs into a crisis when he sees his ex-lover. The play begins with a simple encounter and breaks into a vocal interpretation of Phillip Glass’ highly repetitive compositions.

“I have loved trying to figure out the Phillip Glass piece,” Johnson said.

If you have ever found yourself in a rut and everything seems to be opposite of what you want, then you might possibly be in a “Philadelphia.”

“The Philadelphia” shows two men who are having two completely different days. One man is having a horrible day and it seems that everything is going wrong, just like in the city of Philadelphia. The other character’s day is very laid back and easy, as if he were in Los Angeles.

The final play, “Variations on the Death of Trotsky,” was created when Ives read that the framer of the Russian Revolution lived an entire day after being struck in the head.

“I got very taken with the question of what one does for 36 hours with a mountain climber’s axe in one’s head,” Ives wrote of his play.

John Hurley, who portrays the character Don in “Universal Language,” said that the plays are “very short, catchy plays like Saturday Night Live but more in depth. They are geared towards a college audience.”

This play is showcasing some great talent here at GC&SU. After the graduation of many of the lead actors, new up-and-coming actors are making their debuts. Brian Jones and Taylor Roy are two actors who are both double-cast during this production.

“It’s been exciting to work on my first main stage production,” said Brian Jones, who is double cast in “Sure Thing” and “Philadelphia.” “Marlene gives us room to try new things. I’ve enjoyed working with her because she is a real director, and I’ve only worked with student directors in the past,” Jones said.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Admission for GC&SU students with valid ID is $2; General Admission is $10; and senior citizens, non-GC&SU students, GC&SU faculty and staff, $6. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 1 2004. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry