Miss America and The Twilight Zone

[img1]Going to see a play at Capitol Hill fringe-theater purveyor Theater Schmeater is a pretty fine experience. The audience is right up in the actors' business -- sitting in the front row one is at times close enough to reach out and touch the performers.

Of course, such a thing is liable to get you thrown out onto the street, so don't do it. Still, there are other dramatic pleasures to be had.

Theater Schmeater is currently running two plays: Miss America: A Fugue Born in 1969 and The Twilight Zone.

[b]Miss America[/b]

This new play was written by Josh Beerman and directed by Schmeater artistic director Rob West. Miss America has a remarkable number of performers in it for such a small theater (the audience was probably only double the cast on the Friday night show that I went to, and the house was nearly full), and having that many people on stage so close to the audience gives the performances a lot of extra energy.

The play details the interconnected lives of various 30-something young professionals in a Seattle-like setting (the location the play occurs in is never given). The new economy is throwing diverse wrenches into their lives, and by the end of the play tensions explode into a raging protest inspired by the events surrounding the WTO ministerial conference in Seattle in 1999.

Miss America lives up to the "fugue" in its title -- it transitions from heavy drama to comedy fluidly and ably. The acting is solid more or less all the way through; there are a few very charismatic performers in this group.

The play does go on a little too long (it eclipses two hours by a little bit and definitely doesn't need to) and the lack of exposition is a real problem: The audience spends too much of the play not really knowing what's going on. Character development is limited too, and the result is that the play feels a little thin. But things are never less than engaging because of the highly capable performances.

[b]The Twilight Zone[/b]

The feel of Theater Schmeater's presentation of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone contrasts sharply with that of the previous play. Two 30-minute episodes of the 1960s TV show are performed: "Third from the Sun" and "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain."

Don't expect the high-dramatic feel that the original black-and-white program often had -- the actors are definitely playing up the campy elements of the scripts as much as possible, and the audience will be laughing throughout the performances. The show I went to on opening night was a little rough around the edges, but given the solid acting on display in Miss America, I assume that things will shape up with a couple weeks of practice.

One actor in particular stands out for his work in both episodes: Lee Morris plays a domineering boss in "Third from the Sun" and the lead in "A Short Drink," managing to dominate every scene he's in.

Having a couple of drinks at the show will only enhance the experience -- it's that kind of environment. My only real complaint is that its hour-long runtime feels way too short. Otherwise, it's a good time.

Miss America: A Fugue Born in 1969 and The Twilight Zone run through May 20. Miss America is performed Thursday-Saturday nights at 8 p.m., and The Twilight Zone is performed Friday-Saturday nights at 11 p.m. Go to www.schmeater.org for more information.

Reach Intermission reporter David Nordmark at [url='mailto:davidnordmark@thedaily.washington.edu']davidnordmark@thedaily.washington.edu[/url].