Harvest '09

Tonight was a good night of theatre, despite the thunder and lightening and rain. In Norcross, GA there is housed a small theatre company called "Onion Man Productions." They did quite well with their "New Crop of 10 Minute Plays."

I came in near the end of "Harry's Celestial Journey" by Bill Wellborn. But from what I saw, I liked it. There was a lady filming it in the back row and I wasn't sure if she was permitted or not, but hey: maybe she was.

"Santas' Night Out" by David Allan Dodson - very cute. I loved the dresses, especially the one worn by Margaret, played by Diane Hallen. The young lady with the slit down the front of her dress, Ms. Sherry Ingbritsen, I believe, probably should not have sat the way she did in that dress. Let's just say one wrong move and perhaps the men in the audience would have moved for a better view.

"Looking Down" by James Beck - I understood the premise of the play and the emotion was definitely there. I was waiting for more physical struggle between the two step-siblings, played by Travis Young and Jessica Fowler (or it might have been Nicole Convis).

"Real Space" by Kelly A. Young - I was just waiting for Mary Saville who played Dana to just haul off and hit Jason Caldwell, who played Delroy. The tension was there and if this really was reality TV, she would have hit him and there would have been a fight. I wanted the eye contact to be stronger with Dana's character as she kept looking away or looking at the floor in tense moments.

"A.M. Session" by Neal R. Hazzard - I caught the interesting reference, Mr. Wendell, from the song by Arrested Development. Very cute. And it opened the eyes for that kind of situation: he's "homeless, not brainles." Wow. There are those out there that don't want charity, they want someone's time. But one rotten apple ruins it for the bunch - but I digress.

"Next of Kin" by Daphne Mintz - I wondered why Travis Young, who played Captain Br., his chair was so low in relation to his desk. *shrug* Still, a good play.

"Monologues" by Patrick Cuccaro - This hits on a spot for so many with aging parents. Not until the end of the play did I understand why Lynne Jenson, playing the daughter, was re-folding already folded laundry for Tamyan Sager-Gandert, who played the Mother.

"Saved in 17 Syllables" by Lisa Brathwaite - Very nicely played by all. My only concern for director Sheri Mann Stewart: they came to the therapists' office - the first to sit would be the client, then the therapist. It's like going to someone's house: the guest sits first, then the person who lives there.

"Death in the Rough" by David L. Fisher - Many props to Mr. Fisher for a wonderfully funny play! I can't imagine what 2 hours worth of his writing would be like! Very entertaining! Very captivating! Would like to see more of this kind of work! And as funny as the subject is of a dead body and a golf course, who's to say that judges and attorneys and the like don't over-look things like that on their "days off"?

Noting all the scene changes, I'd have to give props to the Stage Manager, Joyce White, for being the fastest moving thing on stage! She did her best with her crew to get everything done. THere were a lot of set pieces for plays later on in the evening so it had to be precise and safety had to be a concern. Thoughts about the transition music: one song, please, and then, perhaps, fade out and fade up into another song if A) the actors are ready to be in place or B) the first song is about to end and the scene change is still happening. It was really weird to have the music cut off short and then another song come on. Smooth transition for the ears would have been better.

Well-done over-all to the production company!