Spring Break
Confusion is charming in JHUT's Fuddy Meers
Issue date: 12/4/08
The only aspect that is slightly off-putting is the relationship between Gertie and Claire. Cromwell's ability to scream at high-pitched decibels occasionally makes her appear to be playing the younger of the two roles. Nonetheless, it is amusing to see Gertie, a grandmother-aged character, dancing around the stage like a two-year-old.
When Millet (junior Jeremy Garson) appears on stage, it is his puppet-covered hand that the audience sees first. Millet himself is a mild-mannered, meek man who suspiciously wears the other half of Zach's manacle. His puppet, however, is a foul-mouthed character with an innate ability to slip topics such as sodomy into ordinary conversation.
With the introduction of Heidi (junior Luska Khalapyan), the plot begins its sharp turn towards answering many of the play's questions. Khalapyan plays the sort of cop who seems over-eager to make arrests and would pull over a car for going five miles over the speed limit. Unfortunately for Richard and Kenny, who are in the process of driving to Gertie's house, they have succumbed to the "siren call of ganja" and have just lit up when she pulls them over.
A seemingly random chain of events brings all the characters to Gertie's house, where the remainder of the play takes place. Act one ends with a scene that showcases the cast's talents. It appears that when chase scenes, violence and arguments are combined, the actors are at their best. This final scene of act one is excellently staged and ends with a bang (but that might have just been someone getting hit in the head with a cookie tin).
Act two, although shorter, is packed with answers to the questions posed in the first half. For instance, the seemingly innocuous, eerie fun house music that plays during set changes proves to be important. Unfortunately, questions like "Why is there a safety pin hanging off the sleeve of Kenny's shirt?" were never answered. But maybe that's a question that should be directed to the costume designer.
Fuddy Meers started out like a cheesy sitcom. Thankfully, it didn't stay that way. As the plot progressed, so did the enthusiasm of the actors. Scenes that heightened the actors' adrenaline also increased the believability of their character portrayals. Although Powers was unquestionably the funniest of the cast, each character had a fair share of punch lines. The plot itself is intriguing but it is the actors' comedic delivery that makes Fuddy Meers a play worth seeing.
When Millet (junior Jeremy Garson) appears on stage, it is his puppet-covered hand that the audience sees first. Millet himself is a mild-mannered, meek man who suspiciously wears the other half of Zach's manacle. His puppet, however, is a foul-mouthed character with an innate ability to slip topics such as sodomy into ordinary conversation.
With the introduction of Heidi (junior Luska Khalapyan), the plot begins its sharp turn towards answering many of the play's questions. Khalapyan plays the sort of cop who seems over-eager to make arrests and would pull over a car for going five miles over the speed limit. Unfortunately for Richard and Kenny, who are in the process of driving to Gertie's house, they have succumbed to the "siren call of ganja" and have just lit up when she pulls them over.
A seemingly random chain of events brings all the characters to Gertie's house, where the remainder of the play takes place. Act one ends with a scene that showcases the cast's talents. It appears that when chase scenes, violence and arguments are combined, the actors are at their best. This final scene of act one is excellently staged and ends with a bang (but that might have just been someone getting hit in the head with a cookie tin).
Act two, although shorter, is packed with answers to the questions posed in the first half. For instance, the seemingly innocuous, eerie fun house music that plays during set changes proves to be important. Unfortunately, questions like "Why is there a safety pin hanging off the sleeve of Kenny's shirt?" were never answered. But maybe that's a question that should be directed to the costume designer.
Fuddy Meers started out like a cheesy sitcom. Thankfully, it didn't stay that way. As the plot progressed, so did the enthusiasm of the actors. Scenes that heightened the actors' adrenaline also increased the believability of their character portrayals. Although Powers was unquestionably the funniest of the cast, each character had a fair share of punch lines. The plot itself is intriguing but it is the actors' comedic delivery that makes Fuddy Meers a play worth seeing.
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Alice Blaker
posted 3/07/09 @ 12:58 AM EST
That looks like lots of fun. When I was in college we didn't had so many fun activities.
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