Second act sunnier
By John Berger
than the first at MVT
Special to the Star-BulletinWHEN the headline act on a double-bill lets the other act close the show it's a safe guess that the other act is too hot to follow. So it is at Manoa Valley Theatre. Sarah Stanley's one-woman production, "All About Eggs," is the headline act. Honolulu's talented Loose Screws Improvisational Theatre Troupe closes the show.
"All About Eggs" and "Sunny Side Up": Comedy double-bill with Sarah Stanley and Loose Screws, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, Manoa Valley Theatre. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Call 988-6131.
Stanley portrays three sisters who are brought together by infertility. Sister Diane is a ditsy rich Arizona yuppie unable to conceive. Kate is a ditsy L.A. hypochondriac who has mustered up the courage to donate the ova for petri dish fertilization. Wendy is an East Coast writer who speaks disparagingly of her sisters' plans but can't rest until she has wrangled an invitation to join them.
Variations in body language, facial expressions and speech patterns define the three characters. All seem written to be laughed at rather than empathized with. All are generally annoying despite the potential poignancy of the premise.
Resist the temptation to depart at intermission. Loose Screws is worth staying for. The septet presents a well-balanced assortment of improvisational material including singing, physical comedy, word games and show closing "Head in a Bucket."
R. Kevin Doyle, Sean T.C. O'Malley and Tony Pisculli take turns doing two-man improv sketches while the third man sticks his head in a bucket of water. The length of the sketch is determined by how long Man Three can hold his breath.
The first thing Man Three must do after being "tagged" by one of the other two is provide a suitable explanation for being wet -- bobbing for goldfish, heavy rain and "sweating like a pig" were some of the explanations last night.
Pisculli, Blake Kushi and Shannon Winpenny are "Guests With Secrets" who visit Stephanie Curtis Conching in another fresh segment. (Conching stepped out side last night while the audience decided that Winpenny had X-ray vision, Kushi couldn't bend his back, and Pisculli was Pestilence of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. On returning she was challenged to deduce what the secrets were. She succeeded in hilarious style.)
Conching and Winpenny star in a sketch in which each line of dialogue must start with the next letter in the alphabet. They pulled that off last night as well.
Stanley will appeal most strongly to students of acting technique; the crowd last night enjoyed her work. Loose Screws will entertain anyone in search of creative comedy.
