From the dramatic to the zany, fans of Allen Community College Theatre can experience a range of emotions while watching the student-directed one act plays tonight through Saturday.
THE EVENING starts with a quiet classic in the Tennessee Williams short, “Talk To Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen.” Known only as Man and Woman, Austin Wickwire and Lindsey Temaat quietly offer their take on the nuances of a couple caught in the grip of alcoholism.
Temaat’s stoic portrayal of a wife desperate to escape the endless cycle caused by her husband’s drinking contrasts well with Wickwire’s exasperated, slightly embarrassed husband. He tries to placate her while recovering from a hangover; she just wants to wither into nothingness.
The play is directed by Katherine Terhune.
A TWISTED take on roommates allows Brogan Falls and Virgil Wight to shine as Sam and Buddy, two people who couldn’t be more different. They may share a home, but that doesn’t mean they have to share everything. Falls, playing Sam, refuses to share even one bite of the pancakes he had just cooked.
Falls gradually devolves from a sympathetic character into someone cruel and vindictive. As Buddy, Wight plays the philosophical slacker to the hilt, right down to his mismatched briefs and tank top.
And props go to the props department, with a table fullfullof about 100 mouthwatering, fluffy buttermilk pancakes. You’ll sympathize with Buddy’s desperation for pancakes.
The play is directed by Judd Wiltse.
TWO OF the student directors do double duty as they take on roles in “Love and Light,” directed by Chloe Bedell. It’s a story about a woman who seeks a psychic to contact her husband about where he hid the money.
As the psychic, Paige Durand maintains a quiet, modest professionalism that’s challenged as her clients reveal secrets from their marriage. She does her best to translate sometimes shocking language, changing words like “booze and hookers” into “alcohol and lady friends.”
Ian Malcolm plays Bruce, the dead husband who’s still bitter about perceived slights from his wife. The talented Terhune ably argues with her husband through the psychic while Malcolm sits across the table, and shows a subtle vulnerability that contradicts her harsh words.
GET READY to trash the tropes from classic super hero stories in “Duo,” directed by Ian Malcolm.
This is the perfect vehicle for Wiltse to show off his inner evil villain in a brief role as The Demon. It’s a role he plays with relish.
Wickwire returns in his second role of the night, demonstrating a remarkable range as the prototypical super hero, Rockman. Wickwire plays the self-righteous super hero with a perfect blend of a deep voice, snarky asides and boastful sermons.
Padyne Durand is the frustrated sidekick who demands equality and better treatment in this timely role. She demonstrates the true hero is the one who can call out the conceits of classic super hero storylines while coming to grips with her own weaknesses.
PERFORMANCES are at 7:30 tonight through Saturday at Allen Community College Theatre. General admission is $6 for adults, $4 for students. Allen students are free with ID. Tickets are available at the door and at the Iola Pharmacy.
PHOTO: At left, Virgil Wight wonders why Brogan Falls won’t share his delicious pancakes in the one-act play, “Pancakes,” directed by Allen Community College sophomore Judd Wiltse. At right, Austin Wickwire and Padyne Durand play trapped super heroes in “Duo,” directed by Ian Malcolm. Below, Malcolm, Paige Durand and Kate Terhune star in “Love and Light,” directed by Chloe Bedell. Also playing is “Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen,” directed by Terhune. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
