One Night Stand Theater owns the one-off, with a show every other month
Like the concept of speed dating, Date Night was a rapid-fire examination of contemporary romance. As presented by One Night Stand Theater on the Vintage Theatre stage, Date Night was comprised of seven short plays, none more than 10 minutes, about the complex but always funny world of dating.
So, what’s One Night Stand Theater? Under the artistic direction of James O’Leary, it presents an evening of material every two months, all based on the same subject matter. As the name implies, it’s for one night and one performance only. Originally scheduled against the Super Bowl, the producers thought better of this and moved the performance out of harm’s way to the following Sunday night.
Date Night was hosted by O’Leary, and the subject matter ranged from blind dating to a secret couple’s rendezvous to a Columbo fan club encounter. Playwrights from across the country submitted plays for consideration and they were directed by company members O’Leary, Lorraine Scott, Darlene Grandy and Kathryn Gourley. Presented in the style of a staged reading, actors carried scripts with them and used little or no set pieces and few props.
Highlights included Fresh Starts by Toby Inoue, capturing the first moments of a blind date at the zoo. In the two-character one-act with actors Bryan Anderon and Hilarie Nelson, we saw a promising romance unfold, albeit with initial complications, between two 20-somethings as they tap danced around their first meeting. Anderson and Nelson got the evening off to a convincing start with a combination of nervous tension and skepticism – ringing true of a first date.
In Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for the Whole Family by Colette Mazunik, we met Mary (Bethany Lillis Tisdale) and George (Bryan Anderson) at a bookstore, each searching for a book — and romance — of, you guessed it, easy slow cooker recipes for the whole family. With an exciting surprise twist at the end, we are given the opportunity to witness a modern marriage on a date in action. Actors Anderson and Tisdale played the humorous encounter with a straight face, driving the build-up to the final moments.
Sushi and Columbo was a hilarious peek into the lives of Colombo/Peter Falk fanatics and their special night out. The three-character play included actors Kelly Hasbrouck, Mark Ogle and Dave Ufford as the married couple and their pretentious waiter Claude (Ufford). The waiter had a unique pronunciation of his name that was a standing joke throughout. Eventually, Columbo reruns won out, and the couple left a disgruntled Claude behind.
All seven plays touched upon a unique aspect of dating in today’s crazy world, with all the actors giving stand-out performances. A special note goes to Bryan Anderson, who appeared in three of the seven plays and added a high level of hilarity to each role he took on.
Presented in a minimalist style, the direction was bright and credible. Each director immediately established a distinctive flavor for their play, offering the opportunity to see seven different plays in a fresh light.
Mark your calendars now for One Night Stand’s next performance on Sunday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m., again at Vintage. The evening is called Sleuths & Spies, described as “An evening of intrigue and mystery with brilliant detectives, shady private eyes, and sinister secret agents.” It is sure to be as much fun as ‘Date Night’ was and shouldn’t be missed!
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