Bear Productions presents
EASIER SAID THAN DONE
At the 2015 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity
Paradise Factory Downstairs Theater
64 East 4th Street
NY
NY
18, 21, 28, 29, June, and 9 July 2015
Written by Paul DeSena
Directed by Kristen Penner
Featuring Dana Leigh Snyder, Michael S. Rehse, Emily
DeSena, and Christopher Stokes
Nikki loves her best friend Nathan, but is
married to Justin. Justin loves Catherine who is married to Nathan. Just change
partners and dance, people! But that would be too easy for this bunch.
Apparently friends since high school (or early college) not a one of this
foursome seems able to settle for what they actually want because they are too
busy thinking they should want something else, so all of them are miserable.
Catherine is a cold bitch. Nikki is insecure. Nathan is a whiner. Justin is
a douchebag. Two unlikable couples in the hands of an Edward Albee becomes
brilliant theater, but as the title of this play suggests, that is EASIER SAID
THAN DONE. This is NOT Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe.
The women
are the stronger of the four actors, bringing slightly more complexity to their
one-note characters. There are secrets that are (sort of) revealed during the
course of the evening. I’m still not sure if Catherine had a child and gave it
up or had an abortion. Nathan refers to Justin as being so much younger, but
they all seemed to have been in school at the same time. The piece builds to a
violent confrontation and then, abruptly, ends.
The whole cast all does a
good job of making very minimal set pieces feel like more, but the costumes are
distractingly bad. As no costumer was listed in the program, I’m assuming they
supplied their own, which would be fine if they weren’t so obviously in
disrepair—hems hanging down from the back of jackets, holes in sweaters, and
pockets of dark items badly fixed with white thread.
The good news is
that proceeds go to the Hunker Down Innitiave (sic), a program
that provides assistance to women seeking to escape abusive situations.
-
Jean Tait -