BWW Reviews: The Santa Fe Playhouse BENCHWARMERS Turns 14

BENCHWARMERS is Santa Fe's longest running, one act play festival. Created and produced by the Santa Fe Playhouse and now in its 14th year, the event features local playwrights, actors and directors, in a collection of 15 minute playlets with just one thing in common - a bench. With no stage sets and minimal props, it's left to the playwrights, actors and directors to create a virtual world, in which the bench is transformed into a living room sofa, a garden chair, office seating, or anything else the playwright may dream up.

Creating a successful 15 minute play is as challenging as writing a good short story - at its best, it's art concealing art. Both genres require similar skills; words that draw in the audience/reader and stir the imagination, creating a scenario that keeps them engaged as the story unfolds.

Of the six mini plays selected for this year's BENCHWARMERS, two (VISIBLE, by Michael Burgan and PATENT PENDING, by Terry Riley) succeed in meeting those goals. VISIBLE brings together a homeless woman, Meyers (brilliantly played by Melissa Chambers) and Jonathan (Matthew Montoya) a businessman, who has just lost his job and is in a funk.Their chance encounter - on 'her' park bench - is thought-provoking, original and even comical at times. It's also a reality check for Jonathan, who soon realizes that things could be very much worse. The piece is well constructed, acted and directed (Jeff Nell) and it even has a beginning, middle and end.

So does PATENT PENDING, a quirky little piece about four strangers who come together in the waiting room of the US Patent Office. Each one has an off-beat product they are hoping to label with the magic words, 'patent pending' and their personal interactions have unexpected consequences. The cast, skillfully directed by Danny Kovacs, does a great job and Kathi Collins, as Gwen, comes up with some facial expressions that are truly priceless.

The quality of the other four BENCHWARMERS pieces is inconsistent and, though all very different, they all seem more like flashcards, a scene in the life of... rather than mini plays. The acting, while commendable, is also somewhat inconsistent. A special shout-out goes to Danette Sills (Bertha, in CONFESSIONS OF A CHARACTER ACTOR) for her performance as a classic Jewish mother, who just can't handle the thought of her son being cast as a gay prostitute in an upcoming movie.

BENCHWARMERS is a time-honored, local tradition, but would it be even more successful if - as Fusion Theatre in Albuquerque does with its annual playwriting contest, THE SEVEN - the Santa Fe Playhouse were to open up BENCHWARMERS to entries from all over the country? Just a thought. . .

BENCHWARMERS runs through June 28. For more information: www.santafeplayhouse.org

Photo courtesy of the Santa Fe Playhouse.

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