Wetumpka Depot: "Ten Minutes on a Bench"

"Why do people use dating apps?" is investigated in Kenneth Jones's Ten Minutes on a Bench which ended its short run at the Wetumpka Depot last Friday. This disarmingly entertaining "developmental production" was previously workshopped in Florida and New York, so it is still a "Work in Progress", and with judicious editing and stronger focus is close to being a finished product.

In an attempt to tick all the boxes -- age, narcissism, hook-ups, LGBTQ+, disease, death, alcohol, job insecurity, gender stereotypes, technology, fanciful expectations, et al. -- the play's seventeen short scenes' common denominator is "loneliness", a subject that attentive audiences figure out early in its two-hour stage time. 

Jones [Alabama Story and Hollywood Nebraska]. allows for flexible casting to accommodate age and gender, and director Tony Davison wisely casts four men and four women to play multiple roles that highlight their skills in creating an array of distinct characters while emphasizing the ensemble nature of such a dramatic convention. -- Sydney Burdette, Isaac Garrison, Renee Lewis, Seth Maggard, Laura Smith, Todd Tasseff, James Ward, and Jean Webb comprise the multi-talented acting company whose rapid-fire naturalistic speech and commitment to each personality keep the action moving from scene to scene. [On closing night, one line of dialogue literally stopped the show.]

An experiment in launching a new Dating App conscripts a group of strangers who agree to meet on a public park bench for a ten-minute meeting with another member of the group, with no specific expectations, and several rules to follow: they must agree to share their personal details, be honest with one another, make no commitments or arrangements to meet again, no touching except for a handshake, and stay for no less and no more than the allotted ten minutes. Imagine the complications.

A lone park bench serves as the set for all the scenes that take place in a variety of towns and cities; and the characters and their situations and purposes show a lot of familiar tropes of people trying to connect with one another. -- Jones has an ear for truthful dialogue and quirks of character; each scene is entertaining in its own right, and could stand alone as a complete vignette; but it goes on for too long. It needs to be more compact; perhaps with fewer scenes and no intermission Ten Minutes on a Bench could make a stronger impact. 

ASF: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"

Breezy -- dynamic -- witty -- stunning -- loud -- 

The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is ending its Summer run at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival this weekend. -- Popular since the 1970s and its Broadway debut in 1982, the "sung-through musical" is based on the Book of Genesis story of Jacob and his twelve sons [the favorite one is Joseph], the gift of a coat of many colors that sets off a tale of jealousies and their consequences, ultimately resulting in a redemptive reunion of the family.

Rice and Lloyd Weber fill their two acts with a variety of entertaining song styles [calypso, country-Western, French ballad, Rock and Roll, among others] as they develop plot and character with an infectious humor, and challenge actors and choreographers to engage their audiences.

Director Melissa Rain Anderson and her design cohort [Scenic: Christopher & Justin Swader; Costume: Theresa Ham; Lighting: Nathan Scheuer] create a stunning landscape in which the cast maneuver smoothly; abetted by clever-disciplined-athletic choreography by Lindsay Renea Benton, accomplished throughout by the ensemble cast, the production's success is grounded by its multi-talented company, with support from a local Youth Ensemble.

Fresh faces abound in this production, as most of the cast make their ASF debuts here; so it is heartening to witness their individual and collective energy, dancing skills, and impressive vocal talents. Ms. Anderson directs them with assurance, keeps the action flexible from scene to scene, and gets the most out of her collaboration with Music Director F. Wade Russo and his ten piece orchestra.

Samantha Rios serves as the Narrator who sets the tone and links the episodes of Joseph's [Michael Burrell] journey as an interpreter of dreams; from his initial snobbery to punishment to reward to redemption, starting off with his version of "Any Dream Will Do". But when his father Jacob [Michael Fitzpatrick] gives him the colorful coat, the brothers' jealousies get him sold into slavery ["One More Angel in Heaven"] with Potiphar [also Michael Fitzpatrick] in Egypt where Potiphar's Wife [Madison Manning] attempts to seduce him ["Potiphar"], gets him thrown into jail where his interpretation of dreams captures the attention of Pharaoh [Jim Poulos] whose dreams Joseph interprets as representing seven years of plenty followed by seven years of drought, and enables Pharaoh["A Pharoah's Story"] to keep his people safe and prosperous; and sets the scene for Joseph to reunite with his family.

With its emphasis on sustained and entertaining energy, this Joseph... could benefit from toning down the volume that too often blurs many of the lyrics and renders singing voices to shrillness rather than clarity. This notwithstanding, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a pleasant way to end ASF's 52nd Season.