Theatrical Tapas: A Review
Reviewed by Miriam Rozas
On Tuesday 5th May, I was treated to the Masters playwright showcase, Theatrical Tapas: A Calendar Year at the Barron theatre, where each short play is based on a different seasonal holiday. The showcase was well-attended by writers, thespians, professors, friends and family alike, and we formed a cosy audience ready to escape from the trials of library lighting and the grey May skies to a journey of student-written scenes through the calendar year.
New Year, New Me written by Melina M Riemersma and directed by Kaitlin Shaw was a wholesome start to the showcase, following two sisters reuniting to review old resolutions and set new ones. Roslyn Bates and Kissie Cullum acted at a simple brunch table, managing quick characterisation between the two contrasting sisters — Bates a detached but put-together older sister to Cullum’s messier, emotional Sandy. It was a sweet and fitting start.
Off Season marked Valentine’s Day, written by Holly Arsenault and directed by Dylan Swain, whose layered skills made this hysterical comedic scene stand out from the crowd. It followed reindeers Cupid, Dasher, Prancer and Vixen working at a restaurant in the off-season, as they managed chaotic romances among diners and themselves. Quick-paced jokes and fantastic chemistry between the four actors made for a light and bizarre skit that was a surprise take on a potentially one-pathed holiday. A special mention for Ryan Cunningham’s manager Cupid, whose demands of “Respect me!” and “I’m a reindeer of authority!” were particularly fabulous.
Leni Tullo’s Like Driving Snakes Out of Ireland offered a change of pace, inserting the romance one may have expected in a Valentine’s Day scene into St Patrick’s Day. Sage Norwood and Conall McKeown played a pair removed from a party, and a dialogue about marriage, desire and non-native Irish snakes ensued. Norwood and McKeown were playful and enticing, McKeown’s performance was particularly intriguing, balancing charm and distress against Norwood’s seducing cheekiness.
Easter was represented by Makayla Hong’s Playing God, depicting a conversation between a couple about the ethics of selecting their child’s characteristics through IVF. The setting of an Easter Sunday church service added light to the natural dialogue on faith and chance, and hysterical interruptions from Elena Cebulash’s Pastor were interwoven to help rather than interrupt the flow. The scene was particularly well-cast with Muna Mir and Ona Wright embodying full and contrasting characters approaching a disagreement with and within love. Molly Robertson directed a well-balanced, charming version of Hong’s intriguing discussion of family and choice.
A short interval led us into Halloween, with Aidan Monks performing Valerie Creasy’s monologue It’s Cool, exuding pointed un-coolness and panic in an ever-moving Zorro mask. The script offered opportunities for quick but delicate tone changes, and Dylan Swain’s direction paired with Monks’ performance executed these changes head-on, inducing a complex audience whiplash where we could barely catch our breath from laughing to switching to silence or — for lack of a better phrase — a concerned ‘oof.’ I commend Monks for his impressive transformation and dynamic performance, using the full range of space, audience interaction and emotion to produce a tactful and distinctly relatable character in the bizarreness of an anonymous costumed holiday.
Swain took the stage and joined Norwood in Fergal Harte’s Picture Perfect Christmas, a charming exchange of siblings caught in an awkward photoshoot job. Here, Maggie Madden’s technical skills stood out, as camera flashes interrupted an apologetic catchup, freezing the pair in increasingly intimate and hysterical poses. The collaboration with director Zoe McEwan and Harte’s solid script foundation made for a quick-paced, well-executed scene that retained its heart and lightness.
Boxing Day Blues cast Caitlin Conway and Callum Wardman-Browne as neighbours returning home for Christmas well into their adulthood. It saw the continuation of warm Christmas charm with the following day’s added state of calm. Wardman-Browne, in UGG boots and robe, played a dampened Henry, while Conway balanced his misery with both humour and reassurance, guided by Muna Mir’s natural dialogue.
Wardman-Browne and Conway remained onstage and were joined by the rest of the cast, an eclectically costumed New Year’s party, to round out the year in Matthew Richter’s Countdown. I was thrilled at the return of Elena Cebulash’s Pastor who narrated the buildup to a New Years Eve kiss with fascination and enthusiasm, pausing the countdown to investigate the awkward intricacies of the kiss. The slightly disjointed ensemble rendition of Auld Lang Syne was a great end to the piece, and to the showcase.
What a journey through the year! I thoroughly enjoyed the episodic scenes that were woven together excellently, as a credit to Carrie Cheung and Valerie Creasy’s co-production. Congratulations to the Masters student writers, cast and crew for a thoroughly enjoyable showcase of the varied talent of our town.
Photo credits: Valerie Creasy
