... Awkward Pauses

My overall impression

3 well-imagined pieces with distinctive writing styles. I enjoyed the last 2 more than the first. The females dead-pan delivery in the second piece heightened the awkwardness and humor of being sitting ducks in their own relationship. I love a good, all-american cheeseburger, as much as I like the third piece, which is a religious and political satire, showcasing the dilusional hysteria that may arise when one takes these beliefs in excess and resists anything new. All the pieces have a nice twist at the end, but I found the opener to be a little one note, despite the unraveling of info that led these characters to this place. I liked learning about their pasts, but it needed more levels. I also found myself thinking that the ride should have already started. Or that the actors should have leaned back a bit as we heard the clanking of the car traveling up and up before the deadly ride. Due to the sedentary staging, it was like Beckett’s HAPPY DAYS, but the writing was not reminiscent of that. That said, I personally would have liked to have seen the 2 characters waiting to get seated. Sharing their lives in a more relaxed manner, then buckling themselves in and letting the anxiety of anticipating the ride take-over as they share more of their lives. Maybe getting a little uncomfortable with the seating or the tightness of the belt as they share uncomfortable life moments. It just felt like one expression throughout. It needed to build in the acting and the staging.