Review: TIDE POOLS Reflects Well On Theatre Artists Studio's New Summer Shorts

Amid a mix of Theatre Artists Studio's lighthearted summer innovations, nuggets of theatrical gold glimmer from the depth of Michael Fleck's TIDE POOLS. It's a creative, contemplative, and lovely piece that Fleck has authored ~ describing it as "a paean" to John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, the author's close friend and renowned marine biologist, and Cannery Row, the classic which Steinbeck dedicated to Ricketts. This is a heavy mix of literary allusions from which to draw, and Fleck quite masterfully devises a reverential and lyrical ten minute tone poem of his own, featuring and adapting two of the distinctive characters from the string of vignettes in Steinbeck's novel. In the shadow of Montaña de Oro, Doc (Tom Koelbel), a marine biologist, and Hazel (Mitch Etter), his affable but somewhat befuddled companion, amble along the tide pools, collecting starfish. Doc is a philosopher and a romantic ~ musing on the cliffs dripping with gold; opining on the never-ending construction of a craft by a local boat builder named Henri; reciting lines from Black Marigolds, an evocative love poem translated from the 11th Century Caurapañc??ik? and referenced in Cannery Row. As Steinbeck noted in The Log from the Sea of Cortez, "It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool." Fleck follows that counsel. The reflections from TIDE POOLS linger long after Doc and Hazel have left the stage.

New Summer Shorts, Theatre Artists Studio's ninth annual festival of short plays written by members of the collaborative, showcases seven other works that run a gamut of themes, topical and whimsical.

Les Leiter's Home Invasion is a trip that Noah Webster might enjoy. In a comical contretemps between a witless young burglar (Jason Isaak) and a wizened but still wise old fellow (Mark Gluckman), etymology transforms confrontation into negotiation with a resultant fair trade that leaves both parties unharmed and contented.

Joining the ranks of Leiter's snappy tales with a twist are Susan Sindelar's Going to the Beach with Rutger Hauer, involving a mysterious rendezvous; Lynn Timmons Edwards' Sabbatical, pitting urban development against community garden preservation; Andrea Markowitz's Chip or Strip, a timely commentary on credit card technology's false promises of identity protection; and an equally funny hit at the perils of autocorrect in Debra Rich Gettleman's Tuna and Salmon.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and Nina Koch proves it in Illumination, a delightful short that engages wife Thea (Patti Hurtado) and husband Jack (Bill Straus) in a battle of aesthetic values. In this case, Jack has been nimble and quick, worked his shtick, and proven a valuable point.

On a sweet and heartful note, Aaron Seever's Midnight Petunias reveals the possibility and power of human kindness as Jackson (Chris Dorto) reckons with his grandmother's (Martha Welty) descent into dementia.

Stories of life and love come full circle in this engaging collection of Studio playlets, which run until June 26th.

Photo credit to Theatre Artists Studio

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