'Sects and Violins' a Load of (Smart) Fun

SHOW INFORMATION: Through 3/29.  Thurs-Sat at 7:30PM, Sat at 2:30PM.  At the Load of Fun gallery and entertainment space on North Avenue in Mt. Vernon.  Tickets are $12 adutls/$10 students, artists and seniors.  Free beer and wine with valid ID.  Call 443-844-9253 or go to www.singlecarrot.com for more information and reservations.

◊◊◊◊ out of five. 90 minutes, no intermission.  Adult language, situations and mild sexuality.  Not recommended for children.

 

At the beginning of 2008, I shared my three wishes for the new year with you.  One of them was that theatre goers would try new and adventurous aka DIFFERENT kinds of theatre.  So far this year, I myself have tried to do just that, and guess what?  Every time I've been pleasantly surprised.  Most recently, I attended the opening weekend of the Single Carrot Theatre show called, coyly enough, Sects and Violins.  This was my first foray into live sketch comedy, and I was so impressed!  Part MadTV (not the more political Saturday Night Live), part stand up comedy and part sitcom, this completely original evening of shorts is the work of the entire Single Carrot company.  This year's theme (I'm lobbying now for an annual return!) was "communication," according to director Jessica Garrett's program notes, and boy, do these talented people know how to communicate with an audience.  The evening wisely stays away from political humor and focuses instead on the funny things we do to each other in the name of communication.  The night I attended, the entire place was howling with laughter, and the contact between cast and audience was terrific (though it really can't be helped – the room is about the size of a decent living room, with 45 seats and a small playing space) and the rapport was immediate and genuine.  With some bits lasting a minute or so, and others lasting around five, the comedy was fast and furious, and for the most part, right on target. 

This presentation marks a sharp departure from the rest of the Single Carrot inaugural season, not just because it is a completely original work, but because it is all comedy and really only subversively serious.  This kind of comedy is not for the squeamish, either.  It is very "in your face," loud and brassy, and not the kind you shrink away from.  Ms. Garret has done a fine job keeping things going, selecting the bits and their order in a great way, allowing for each type of sketch to have its time, and then briskly move on.  Best of all, she has managed to corral what appears to be a limitless amount of talent, comic know how, and always good acting, in check.  One could see this kind of thing unchecked getting annoyingly out of hand.  Not so here.  The five member ensemble works together with an admirable ease – the kind that comes from working closely together in a give and take for long periods of time.  I can imagine there was much frolic and frenzy when each bit was suggested, written and refined (and probably a healthy amount of arguing).  The result is a great deal of fun for all involved.  They all look like they are having a blast, which translates into an eager audience lapping everything up like cream.  So there are kudos and congratulations for all five – Genevieve de Mahy, Giti Lynn, Aldo Pantoja, Brendan Ragan and newcomer Elliott Rauh.   

Most of the sketches work very well from the extremely brief – each actor portraying Robert DeNiro in a variety of scenarios, or a pair of bits that bookend the show called "Worst Case Scenario" – to the more lengthy shorts - the story of Samuel the Lactose Intolerant Farm Boy, and an absolutely hilarious trio of songs (I won't give away any of them).  Others fall kind of flat, and mainly because they aren't pushing any boundaries, like a series of singles dating service phone line calls which are a tad predictable, and a short skit about firing a guy without ever actually saying, "You're fired."  But even those parts have their genuinely funny moments. 

As presented, each ensemble member is given some great moments to shine.  Ms. De Mahy excels at facial expression and timing, and is a literal scream in a scene concerning a blind date, among other scenes.  Ms. Lynn, maybe the least utilized, does well with full body comedy; that is, she uses every cell of her being from the top of her hair to the bottoms of her feet, and her ability to affect voices is reminiscent of Carol Burnett.  Both young ladies also get to be part of the evening's funniest scene "Sibling Healing through Yoga."  Ms. de Mahy provides the hilarious voice of the unseen yoga instructor in that unwavering gracious/condescending tone all such instructors have, while Ms. Lynn (along with Mr. Pantoja) is one of the siblings forced to get into increasingly uncomfortable positions with her "brother."  The result is a gut-busting five minutes where you nearly lose your breath from laughing so hard.  Tears rolled down my cheeks!

The three young men of the ensemble also do fine work, with the amazingly talented Brendan Ragan adding "sharp comic" to his already impressive resume.  Talk about timing!  He and Aldo Pantoja form the above mentioned singing duo for three songs interspersed throughout the show.  Decked out in fun hats, sun glasses and wise-ass smirks, these two know how to work a crowd, a guitar and a bongo drum with the irreverent glee of drunken college frat boys.  Both are to be commended though for reining it in when things veer to close to overkill.  Both Ragan and Pantoja are joined by Ms. Lynn and Elliott Rauh for the second best sketch of the night – what happens when a nebbish couple – a doctor of theology and his wife (Pantoja and Lynn) – pick up a crazy couple (Ragan and Rauh – in drag).  The set up is genuinely funny but the surprise turns of event are howlingly funny.  Even if I told you what happens, and I won't, I could never do the whole thing justice.  Mr. Rauh, making his onstage debut with Single Carrot is a string fit for an already wonderful acting company.  Welcome to Baltimore, Elliott! 

In lesser hands, this evening could have been a disaster.  Part of being a comic success is knowing when to ease up, when to let go and when to get off the stage.  Single Carrot knows all three.  Don't miss it – you won't regret a minute!

 

PHOTOS courtesy of Single Carrot Theatre, by Josh Moglia.  TOP to BOTTOM:  The Sects and Violins Company; Genevieve de Mahy and Giti Lynn; Brendan Ragan, Aldo Pantoja, Giti Lynn and Elliott Rauh.

 

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