Gait's Gulch Productions
presents
CONNECTIONS
Written and Produced by VERNON CHURCH
Based on the September 18 through October 20, 2002 run at Theater for the New City
Directed by LAURENCE SHANET
Set Design FAY TORRES-YAP
Costumes OMAYRA PABON
Lighting MARK HANKLA
Sound FRED STESNEY
Original Music SEAN ALTMAN
Stage Manager RAUL POPOV
Press Representative ORIGLIO PR
THE COMPANY
(in alphabetical order)
Kina Bermudez - Sean Devine - Rich Egan - Cristy Ferrante - Max Goldberg
Amanita Heird - Jennifer Maturo - Suzie Moon - Jenny Moss - Shellee Nicols Michael S. Rush - Sonya Tsuchigane - Franca Vercelloni
CAST (for production reviewed)
RICHARD EGAN as Victor
SHELLEE NICOLS as Loli
MICHAEL RUSH as Francis
CRISTY FERRANTE as Gina
MAX GOLDBERG as Dan, Roy and Fedora
AMANITA HEIRD as Nan
FRANCA VERCELLONI as Helen
SUZIE MOON as Pui
KINA BERMUDEZ as the Montage women (Storm, Valerie, Sue, Maria)
CONNECTIONS, by Vernon Church, is a comic look at the modern and addictive world of internet dating. Sure to make one run from the online personals, in spite of the author’s success at making a virtual love connection, this play introduces a steady stream of unbalanced folks.
Here, we follow recently divorced Victor, encouraged by friend Francis, on his initiation into the world of online dating. Victor is quickly addicted, and loses it all, including real romance and a good job, in pursuit of one more date. In the course of the action, we are briefly introduced to some of Victor’s online ladies. Surely an exaggerated amalgam of the real people out there, as characters, they are mere tidbits, and very unreal as scripted.
A flawed production, the entirety could do with some polish. The back wall projections are odd, most all the actors play their parts as if they were doing purposely unflattering caricatures, and the basic premise is too flimsy to account for the stage time allotted here. Even worse, the online women are reduced to characteristics mapped out on a chart. No wonder they are all so horrible when we meet them!
Yikes! This made me want to unplug my pc and quarantine all my e-mail. Too disconnected, I guess, to comprehend the necessity of these CONNECTIONS.
- Kessa De Santis -