by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer

Durang 7
Stone Soup Theatre
Through November 15

Stone Soup Theatre, a theater devoted specifically to one-acts, has put together what they believe is the first amalgam of seven Christopher Durang one-acts. One of Durang's most memorable plays is the very funny Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, a parody of a Catholic nun teaching her view of the world. Durang likes to meld comedy with painful subjects. His plays are "absurdist comedy married to real feelings," he says.

This evening of seven plays is produced by an ensemble of six: Maureen Miko, James Lyle, Zachariah Robinson, Natalie Saxon, Rebecca Parker-O'Neil and Laurence Hughes. It's definitely a mix of comic situations with some poignant subjects.

First up is The Actor's Nightmare, which is apparently that you wake up not knowing who you are and you're told you must go on stage since you are understudying someone who has gotten hurt, but you don't know the play or any lines. James Lyle is earnestly and hysterically funny as the amnesia victim. Even at the end, you don't quite know if he was dreaming or really in a play, since actually there seem to be two plays mixed together: a Noel Coward play and Hamlet, with some Samuel Beckett thrown in. Rebecca Parker-O'Neil stands out here as the Irish maiden in the garbage can.

DMV Tyrant is everyone's worst nightmare, a government worker! Natalie Saxon is blandly uninterested in providing any actual service, all the while maintaining an air of vague helpfulness.

Funeral Parlor is a poignant moment where Rebecca Parker-O'Neil plays a woman who has lost her husband and Zachariah Robinson comes to pay his respects, but Robinson's character is just shy of a street person. Robinson's earnest and awkward ways earn a big thumbs-up.

Gym Teacher has James Lyle become one of the worst possible gym teachers: a guy who slurs everyone, sexually hits on his students, declares that "fairies" would get stripped, hung upside down and dunked into the toilet, and other sundry outrages. Prepare for "bombardment."

Desire, Desire, Desire is a strange amalgam of Streetcar Named Desire, with Maureen Miko playing a lustfully deranged Blanche, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This one-act is the least well-put-together, since there's no rhyme or reason for combining those two plays - except as a joke, one would guess.

Entertaining Mr. Helms posits a play that would gain total approval from Sen. Helms, a rabidly right-wing conservative. It's a demonstration of how repressive "family values" can become. Rebecca Parker-O'Neil, as Mother, shows growing dread of angering her husband, and there is a pregnant sense that Father, played by Laurence Hughes, is really a batterer and maybe even an incestuous pervert. There is definite stress under the humor.

Finally, a take-off of the Greek classic of Medea, with an updated Greek Chorus, Rebecca Parker-O'Neil and Natalie Saxon, who perform shtick in unison, somewhat like synchronized swimming. Maureen Miko plays an over-the-top Medea who is talked out of killing her children. This was apparently co-written with great playwright Wendy Wasserstein, though it can't be said to be either of their best work. Still its silliness and choreography are a winning combination to end the evening. Listen for a huge list of slightly retro cultural references, including to television shows like Designing Women. The non-sequiturs are pretty quick, so you have to listen closely.

The evening bounces along as director, Maureen Hawkins, pulls together a solid ensemble with a great, versatile set by Jenna Carino and really nice costuming by Savannah Baltazar, especially for a theater that typically has not had money to pour into such areas.

The seven plays do show a range of sentiment and humor, so Durang should be pleased that these seven can be performed in one evening. A good job on stage leads to good times in the audience.

For more information, go to www.stonesouptheatre.com or www.brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006.

Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com.

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