The Green Room’s Neo-Variety Show Review
The Green Room’s Neo-Variety Show is for those who wish to have a novel theater experience but are not overly-concerned with staying within the confines of ‘legitimate theater’. The Neo-Variety Show offers a grab-bag of short skits and scenes, ranging from the simple and elegant to, sadly, the unutterably stupid. Scene presentation is determined in an impromtu manner by the audience members, who select from a numbered list what scene they would like to see.
A number of the scenes simply did not work for me, such as Dr. Ento, Insect Psychologist, which quickly lost its initial format and diverged into an unlikely mating between a Preying Mantis and a Bee. The scene Nepenthe, based on a Greek word which translates as inducing forgetfulness of sorrow or easing pain, instead develops into a Greek-chorus call for revenge and death. There are, however, a few gems amidst the rubble. Especially effective is The Very Big Deal, a tongue-in-cheek skit which successfully makes use of every double entendre and sexual innuendo in the book. Also worthy of mention are several fake radio spots, titled Active Radio’s Kung Fu, and Active Radio’s Mega Cleaner 2000, which are extremely clever and well done, and provide a nice respite from the sometimes over-zealous activity on stage.
Standout performances from the cast include Mark Barsekian as the show’s M.C., as well as his role as the disinterested lover in The Romance Scene. Barsekian shows great comedic timing and movement throughout. Shallon Ferris has some fine moments, most particularly opposite Barsekian in The Romance Scene and in her pre-show mini-logues (yes, that’s right, a very short mono-logue, delivered intimately to you in your seat). Her passion and zest are infectious, and she often helps carry the energy onstage. The collective dance scene Boogie Oogie makes wonderful use of costumes and masks, and had the audience clapping its hands enthusiastically. Joshua Heuertz’s Custom Scene (the only improvisational piece of the night) was a simple, poignant, yet humorous rendition of an Orpheus-like journey into the underworld of Hades to recover his dead wife.
The Neo-Variety Show is an eclectic free-for-all which sometimes stumbles and falls, and which seems to move in circles rather than forward. While the number of successful scenes are roughly balanced by those that do not work, the overall effect is akin to Saturday Night Live performed by frenzied adolescent thespians, and left me with a slightly sour taste in my craw. A mere hour in length, the program is, at the very least, energetic, but you must be willing to endure a certain amount of suffering to sit through it. The troupe also has the assistance of Carolyn Myers, an improvisational actor with the Hamazons who penned three of the show’s twenty pieces. Playing every Saturday night at the Green Room, one can never be quite sure what to expect from the Neo-Variety Show, but for those with adventurous hearts (and strong stomachs!), it could be worth finding out.
