It has become the norm in theater these days to play for a mass audience and include “”something for everyone”” in every show. The result is a whole lot of unfunny “”comic dramas”” or wishy-washy “”dramatic comedies”” running around. Sadly, the performances in these works play the middle ground while often-great scripts are reduced to nothing more than empty lines delivered by a smirking entourage.
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For instance, consider “”Orphans,”” by Lyle Kessler. It’s an interesting little script, with a dash or two of comedy in it and a dash or two of drama. Given any number of possible directions, “”Orphans”” could easily be a comfortable little evening for a mass audience.
With New Village Arts’ edgy troupe, “”Orphans”” becomes a delightfully savage dramedy, spitting and snarling its way through the story of orphaned brothers Phillip and Treat as they attempt to survive in a dilapidated Philadelphia apartment. It’s excruciatingly funny and dramatic, and there’s no smirking or whining to ruin the mood. The great thing is that it still has quite a bit of mass appeal while being about as “”comfortable”” as the Spanish Inquisition.
Joshua Everett Johnson plays Phillip, a Tourettic mess of a young man who stays home everyday nursing his personal demons (at least they’re cute little demons). Francis Gerke provides the perfect foil as the intense Treat, a thief whose lack of temper and tendency toward violence is both laugh-out-loud hilarious and deeply disturbing. Wonderfully rounding out the three-man cast is Jim Chovick as Harold, an old businessman and Treat’s kidnap “”victim”” who has the uncanny ability to switch between Santa and Satan in the blink of an eye.
Under director Kristianne Kessler’s considerable craftsmanship, this play starts with a bang. The audience sees Phillip and Treat jumping through banisters and over chairs in a furious game of “”tag,”” abusing their surprisingly sturdy set like an asylum for hyperactive primates. Every movement is impeccably placed to look natural yet quirky, and the three performers often summon huge laughs from the audience without saying a word.
To add to the experience, “”Orphans”” is staged at the corporate headquarters of Jazzercise, a surreal location filled with swarthy corporate architecture and spandex exercise clothing that just happens to have a theater tucked away in the back of the building.
The drama is hard-hitting and the comedy is so infectious that people almost keeled over in their seats. Altogether, everything adds up to a show so simply wonderful that its brilliance transcends description.
“”Orphans”” is playing through Nov. 30 at Studio Space at Jazzercise Inc. Tickets are $15. For more information, call (760) 633-1130 or see http://www.newvillagearts.org.
