Review: WRONG FACES and TOMMY AND DOMINICK at the Masque Theatre's One-Act Play Festival Showcase Local Playwrights

During my adolescence, the annual one-act play festival held at my high school was the highlight of my academic year. So, whenever I hear that a one-play festival is being staged, I am filled with excitement and nostalgia. For the first time, the Masque Theatre has introduced what will become its annual one-act play festival, providing local playwrights with an opportunity to stage their original works. I was delighted to attend two such plays.

In total four plays featured in this year’s programme: WRONG FACES and TOMMY AND DOMINICK run on alternating days to LET’S GET META and INHERITANCE. When I attended the festival, I saw WRONG FACES and TOMMY AND DOMINICK. I would have loved to see the other two plays as well but unfortunately, the run was only three days, and I couldn’t make those performances. Let’s hope that the festival runs for a longer period in 2025.

Below, I separately discuss the two pieces that I watched. Each had a running time of about thirty minutes with a half hour interval in between to allow time to strike the set.

WRONG FACES

WRONG FACES is a two-hander starring Jason Bailey and Alex Silberbauer and is both written and directed by the latter. This dramedy runs in real time and follows two strangers who find themselves hiding out in a bathroom while at a house party. I enjoyed many aspects of this piece and often found the writing to be relatable.

The two actors work well together. I have seen Bailey in multiple productions and I am always enthralled by his natural and subtle portrayals. He has the ability to deliver big emotion without melodrama and to embody the ‘ordinariness’ of a character in a three-dimensional way. He achieved this again in the short time span this piece. His character is shy, a little awkward, lonely and feels out of his place in the world. I loved the vulnerability that Bailey brought to the role.

Silberbauer was a good foil to Bailey’s character. The former is confident, assertive, forthright and (seemingly) cares little of what others think. She has a delightful stage presence and a knack for comedic timing. I enjoyed the between the contrast she displays between her character’s tough exterior and the vulnerability, and the fear exposed underneath.   

Overall, I enjoyed this play and the character study that it presented. I did, at times, struggle to buy the intimacy that developed between the two characters and the rapid rate at which this comfort develops felt a little artificial to me. Besides for that, this was a poignant, lovely piece. I also loved the set – especially the bathtub!

TOMMY AND DOMINICK

This piece, penned by Lauren Bates and directed by Barbara Basel, is a comedic re-imagining of ROMEO AND JULIET, in the city of Flake Town where two competing restaurants battle it out for city-wide burger domination. I’m a big fan of the Bard, so I was really looking forward to this take on the famous love story.

There were elements of this piece that I really enjoyed. The choice to open the play with Prokofiev’s  ‘Dance of the Knights’ from ROMEO AND JULIET OP. 64 (which I regularly choose to blast while driving) is inspired. The drama of those opening notes perfectly sets the scene for the anathema of the employees of Burger Boss and Best Burger (respectively). I loved the opening choreography – all very ‘Shakespeare’. While I chuckled at the many burger puns, and loved the bits of modernised text thrown in from the original play, I felt that the pace sometimes let this piece down. The play relies on a lot of physical comedy with fights breaking out between the two burger joints – this is very funny but sometimes these interludes go on for too long and the transitions into the next dialogue-filled section are filled with silence, which interrupts the pace. I would have loved to see the plot develop a little more.

Despite this, there were lovely performances, especially by Tommy and Dominic (a platonic Romeo and Juliet)– played by Taryn Basel and Qondea Avril Mkansi.

My favourite performance has to be that of Mayor Naise, played by Andy Rabagliati. His dry delivery was a hilarious counter to the chaos and tomfoolery exhibited by the townsfolk. I adored his austere air and crisp diction.

Next year, I can only hope for a longer run and for more new plays and talent to be displayed. To stay up to date, visit the Masque Theatre’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

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