Philadelphia Spotlight: November 2005

This time of year, we should be thankful for what we’ve got. And at the very least, you’re probably not starving, suffering from dementia, dead broke, or in love with a shark… like the subjects of this month’s plays.

In Jeni Mahoney’s new absurdist comedy The Feast of the Flying Cow…And Other Stories of War, which is enjoying its world premiere at the Interact Theatre Company, life for a young couple isn’t turning out quite as planned. Izak and Anya are down to their last beet; but food isn’t their only problem. Their aunt lies dead in the room next door — and they had to free their dog for fear the pooch would become lunch for their famished neighbors. But Mahoney’s dark humor is not without purpose. Balancing cruelty and slapstick, Feast seeks to uncover the truth behind America’s so-called altruistic approach to foreign aid. Emmanuelle Delpech from the Pig Iron Theatre Company and the magnificent Matt Saunders of New Paradise Laboratories head the cast (through November 20).

Hotel Obligado’s productions are known for their strong ensembles. But in their new production, Dottie, company member Robin Marcotte figuratively and literally flies alone. Inspired by his own grandmother’s struggles with dementia, Dottie mixes original music, mask performance, shadow dancing, and aerial ballet to give us a glimpse of a mind under siege. Playing both the timid woman of the title role and various other characters, Marcotte introduces a woman trying to remain grounded while imaginary friends regularly appear to her in mirrors (Mum Puppettheatre, November 15-December 4).

Richard Dresser’s Rounding Third is a comedy about baseball, but don’t jump to the conclusion that the play is exactly like Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award-winning Take Me Out. Here, the players are not the focus of the drama. Instead, Dresser directs attention to two little league coaches: Don is a highly competitive, winning-is-everything dictator whose son is the star of the team, while his relaxed assistant Michael (whose son also plays on the squad) views the sport as an opportunity to teach youngsters teamwork and the joys of recreation (Walnut Street Theater Independence Studio, November 10-December 4).

Michael Hollinger, who ranks among Philadelphia’s most successful homegrown playwrights, returns to his alma mater when Villanova University stages his quick-witted farce Incorruptible, set in a bankrupt monastery in France. Their holy relic Saint Foy hasn’t produced a miracle in 13 years, and the monks, who are desperate to raise funds, concoct an unsavory plan to raise money from their dirt-poor congregation. Hollinger’s farce (first seen in Philadelphia in 1996) is exceptionally well-constructed, incredibly fast-paced, and often explosively funny (November 15-December 4).

In Adam Bock’s entertaining Swimming in the Shallows at the Philadelphia Theater Workshop, a guy falls in love with a Mako shark. Not just any shark though, but (gasp) a male shark he sees in an aquarium! However in Bock’s delightfully odd script no one seems to find anything unusual about the shark-man couple who become an item. Filled with highly-idiosyncratic characters and uproarious situations, Bock traverses a contemporary world of gay weddings, heterosexual marriages, and American capitalism (November 18-December 4).

From the fictional world of Rhode Island to the semi-reality of Hollywood, Ken Ludwig’s Shakespeare in Hollywood follows the filming of Max Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream — mixing in such off-the-set characters as Dick Powell, Jack Warner, and Louella Parsons. (Wilma Theater, November 23-December 30).

Those seeking family fare should head over to the mammoth Walnut Street Theatre, the city’s largest and richest company, which excels at staging spectacular musicals. With Richard Stafford handling the direction and choreography, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast should be another holiday winner for the company and audiences alike (November 8-January 8).