BWW Reviews: R-S Theatrics Presents Entertaining Production of AUTOBAHN

It seems like productions of prolific playwright and filmmaker Neil Labute's works have been presented everywhere the past couple of years, and another is currently being presented by R-S Theatrics, formerly known as Soundstage Productions, in their current home in the Crestwood Mall ArtSpace. Autobahn is a seven play cycle where all the scenes take place in the front seat of a car between two individuals. It's an often hilarious work that presents a variety of situations, despite the fact that the setting is always the same. Four directors and seven actors collaborate to bring these pieces to life, and it makes for an enjoyable evening of theatre.

Each of the playlets that make up Autobahn are slightly different in nature, but all share the common thread of taking place in a car, and that makes them familiar in a way. Since we all spend so much time in our vehicles, we can easily identify with the difficulties encountered with trying to concentrate on driving while someone prattles on in the seat next to you. Here, there are a number of of interesting combinations. There's a daughter recently released from rehab who chooses her mother as her new confidant, and quickly confides to her that she's going to relapse once they get home. There's a couple who are parked at “break up point”, which is an aptly named quiet spot, however, things don't proceed as planned. There's a young and uneasy female student riding along with her teacher to a remote cabin who displays poor judgment by agreeing to this tryst. Another piece finds two buddies drinking and driving as one tries to coerce the other to retrieve his gaming system from his ex. One bit has a husband picking up his wife and being told she was ravaged by a couple of men at a convention she attended. Another play follows a couple who are at odds because the man called the woman the “c” word in public. The final piece is about a couple who take in a foster child, but return him when things get out of control and the dad is accused of inappropriate behavior.

All the actors do fine work here, whether they're given dialog or just allowed to react to the conversation that is taking place. Mark Abels, Betsy Bowman, Caroline Kidwell, Phil Leveling, Janice Mantovani, Jared Sanz-Agero, and Ellie Schwetye all inhabit the various characters Labute creates. There's spirited interplay between them all, with Sanz-Agero drawing kudos for his funny turn as a larger than life friend whose trying to goad his buddy into taking back his video game system.

It's not clear who directed what, but GP Hunsacker, Mark Kelley, Nick Moramarco and Landon Shaw do a good job guiding the actors through their paces, and the all pieces seem uniform in their presentation. No other technical credits are listed, but the lighting, sound, costumes, and car seat set work perfectly.

Autobahn focuses on the interplay between individuals with a strong bent toward their various moral and ethical dilemmas. R-S Theatrics has put together an engaging evening of theatre with their presentation of this early work by Labute, and it continues through February 26, 2012. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

 

 

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