Me Equals This & Happy Girl

Tickets and Information

the gift of small theater done well
The Collective has not yet managed the widespread recognition of The LAB or Naked Angels or The Keen Company, but, boy, when they get it right like they do in Me Equals This + Happy Girl, you better be able to say you were there. These two unassuming short plays make up one evening, and each follows two friends through a roller coaster of an interaction. Playwright Brian Leider, with only these two plus one more play to his credit, writes in a contemporary voice that keeps us engaged and relating while at the same time unsure how we are supposed to feel about what we are witnessing. I enjoyed the ride-- often times laughing out loud at the unnecessarily complicated ways people choose to live, and their disconnected or mis-connected relationships. There are some unclear silences which will surely boil off as the actors find their rhythm. For the most part, Leider seems to have let these talented actors off their respective leashes. And, I for one am intrigued to see the plays again, since The Collective will be changing the cast each week of the three-week run. The space is small, but this playwright and these actors have created an experience bigger than what one expects to see in Off Off black box theaters.

Reviewed by rjz1 on Friday, Oct 23rd, 2009

the gift of small theater done well
The Collective has not yet managed the widespread recognition of The LAB or Naked Angels or The Keen Company, but, boy, when they get it right like they do in Me Equals This + Happy Girl, you better be able to say you were there. These two unassuming short plays make up one evening, and each follows two friends through a roller coaster of an interaction. Playwright Brian Leider, with only these two plus one more play to his credit, writes in a contemporary voice that keeps us engaged and relating while at the same time unsure how we are supposed to feel about what were witnessing. I enjoyed the ride-- often times laughing out loud at the unnecessarily complicated ways people choose to live, and their disconnected or mis-connected relationships. There are some unclear silences which will surely boil off as the actors find their rhythm. For the most part, Leider seems to have let these talented actors off their respective leashes. And, I for one am intrigued to see the plays again, since The Collective will be changing the cast each week of the three-week run. The space is small, but this playwright and these actors have created an experience bigger than what one expects to see in Off Off black box theaters.

Reviewed by rjz1 on Friday, Oct 23rd, 2009