A grab
bag of gags
by
Michael Dresdner
L to R: Aya Hashiguchi, Marie Tjernlund, Chevi Chung Photo by Jason Ganwich
In her
curtain speech, Aya Hashiguchi described this play quite accurately, though perhaps
unintentionally, as “63 minutes, just like television.” Java Tacoma: The Merry
Wives Americano at Dukesbay Theater is the fourth installment of a series set
in a fictional coffeehouse called Perky’s, and true to Aya’s words, it had more
in common with a TV sitcom, or gentle improv, than a true play.
Leave
your expectations of story arc, plot build, and denouement at home. You won’t
find them here, but that’s not to say you won’t be entertained. In spite of
less than ideal pacing, a dearth of ensemble cohesion, and a storyline that
barely exists, this turned out to be a very pleasant hour, with the laughs sprinkled
liberally throughout like the nuts in a good almond bark.
Oh,
there’s a plot bit about a cop (Micheal O’Hara) named Frank Coppola (get it?
Cop, Coppola, Francis Ford… oh, never mind) trying to shake down the coffee
shop owners after an accidental death, but it’s silly, easy to see through, pointless,
and completely unrelated to its namesake Merry Wives of Windsor. Forget all
that and instead enjoy the unexpected mix of funny non-sequiturs, low puns,
impressions, charmingly exaggerated characters, and Tacoma-based inside jokes.
This is
a world where people and props show up for no apparent reason other than to be a
conduit for gags. Thus, a karaoke machine with no plot relevance whatever
allows several cast members, individually and in groups, to indulge in intentionally
amateurish but surprisingly enjoyable bouts of show tunes and oldies. It also
lets two characters argue for no apparent reason about how to pronounce
karaoke. See what I mean?
Some characters
fill the same ad hoc role. John (John Pfaffe), a mostly irrelevant but charming
customer, breezes in, complete with makeshift costumes, to do rapid-fire impersonations
of classic lines and characters from popular movies, from Darth Vader and
Princess Leia to Clint Eastwood and Jimmy Cagney. And you know what? He’s
thoroughly entertaining! So is Kate, perfectly overplayed by Marie Tjernlund,
flaunting a garishly “stylish” costume and all the haughty superiority of Miss
Piggy, sniping in turns at her hapless rivals, vegan baker Jeri (Susan Mayeno) and
cafe owner Bert (Jack House).
Rounding
out the coffeehouse regulars are Bert’s wife Linda (Aya Hashigughi) and
daughter Anna (Chevi Chung), and the highly irregular Sharry O’Hare as a delightfully
inept employee who’d rather be working at Bluebeard, another local reference
that is trotted out enough times to make you wonder if they paid for product
placement.
Although
there is no costumer listed, costumes were very solid, adding to both the humor
and character identity. Pay particular attention to the shoes, some of which are
simply wonderful.
Changes
in lighting (by Ali Criss) are used to direct our focus on this simple but
effective set (by director Randy Clark), and included the unusual use of a gobo
“window light,” instead of the more traditional blue lights, to allow safe
scene changes. Sound design was by Joe Kelly with original music by Allan J.
Loucks. Though I don’t usually mention the set painter, this time it’s worth a
nod. Take a long, close look at the superb fake wooden floor painted by Jen Ankrum.
For
whatever reason, this tossed together collection of random silliness actually
works, and along with some delightful characters, creates a funny and worthwhile
night of featherweight theatre.
Java Tacoma
March28 to April 13, 2014
Dukesbay
Productions
http://dukesbay.org/
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