My overall impression
Beautifully acted, exceptionally well-written, totally engaging show. Rudnick’s five ten minute shorts span the spectrum from comic to surreal to surprisingly touching and back again. I was particularly taken with the first scene, in which two percussionists bitch and flirt during their frontman’s endless guitar solo, and the second, in which a washed-up college professor tries to convince a slackerish student to enroll in his passion project of a class (called, hilariously, “Drums as Cautionary Tale”). But all five scenes are gems, and together make for a very satisfying and completely engaging evening (or noon, or night, as the case goes at the fringe). Kudos to all three performers, including the expert drummer whose entre-act solos tie the evening together, and both actors, who bring subtle variety to their many roles. I won’t spoil the final scene—but Mike McColl’s “drum discovery” exercise in the show’s final moments is a lesson in specificity that any aspiring actor would do well to take notes on. Great stuff all around!
