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TAG
Robert, played by Ricky Catter, is present at his own funeral
in "Balcony Scene." Dorothy Stamp plays his fiancee.

Excellent cast boosts
TAG dramas’ plot twists

Evening of One Acts: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays through Aug. 6, Yellow Brick Studio, 625 Keawe St. Tickets $10. Call 591-7999

By John Berger
Special to the Star-Bulletin

The Actors' Group continues to present challenging theater and unusual constellations of actors with "An Evening of One-Acts." The program consists of two plays by the late Donald Elser directed by his daughter Patricia Elser Gillespie. Both contain a thought-provoking twist, and although it takes some patience to reach the moments of truth, Gillespie generally maintains their momentum.

The first act, "Ticket to the City" is essentially a three-person play with a cast of seven. It illustrates the dangers of waiting for public transportation in a small room. Lance Rae stars as a wealthy, self-important creep who insinuates himself into the life of a hapless young woman (Betty Sanchez) while imposing on the others with a self-indulgent account of his misspent life. Rae plays the part perfectly and gives us no reason to care about the man.

The unidentified victims are the train station ticket seller (Sam Polson), a prissy elderly woman (Mary Frances Kabel-Gwin) who spends her time knitting, and an investments councilor (Peter Bunn). The other person present is a U.S. Marine (Ricky Catter), who has the good fortune to sleep through the monologue.

The energy level spikes exponentially when an angry woman (Anne-Marie Russo) storms in and accuses Sanchez's character of stealing several thousand dollars and conspiring to run off with her husband. Russo gives a vibrant performance with a fine "noo yawk" edge.

Only when "angry woman" has left and the late-running train has arrived do we begin to wonder which of the women was telling the truth. Was "angry woman" simply a paranoid older woman who saw infidelity where there was none? Or was "young woman" less of an innocent than she appeared to be? It's at this point that the true substance of Sanchez's performance becomes apparent.

"Balcony Scene" starts as a slow and seemingly predictable exercise. Robert Templin (Ricky Catter) listens to "friends" and neighbors attending his funeral while a supernatural "associate" (Sam Polson) assesses his life.

Rae is in his element playing a recently deceased gangster in comic caricature style. Russo shows her range and resources with a characterization completely different from her earlier role.

Catter dominates the action with a powerful performance as the increasingly agitated man. His work is particularly effective in the theater's close quarters.

TAG resident actress Dorothy Stamp mourns convincingly as Templin's bereaved fiancee. Stamp, Catter and director Gillespie blend heart-wrenching sorrow with shades of ominous foreboding as Templin hears his young fiancee say that she may eventually fall in love again.

Does the emotionally unstable Templin actually have the power to kill his fiancee so they'll enter eternity together? Playwright Elser anticipates the attempt. It's the twist that makes Elser's tale a suspenseful experience.

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