‘Short Stack(s)’ to serve student-run theater Friday
By Melanie Barnes, Entertainment Writer
April 20, 2007 | 10:30 a.m.
The Lost Flamingo Company will serve a heaping pile of comedy mixed with a side of drama in their latest production, the ambiguously plural “Short Stack(s)," at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Mitchell Auditorium.
There’s a plan to kill an ex-boyfriend using arsenic brownies, Juliet meets Romeo’s past lovers in the afterlife and British men are having a hell of a time trying to find a decent lay. In a show where no one can seem to decide if the title is plural or singular, the antics of “Short Stack(s)” are sure to measure up to those of past Lost Flamingo productions.
Composed of nine 15-20 minute plays, “Short Stack(s)” is a night of prime student-written and -directed theater. There are six comedies and three dramas on the set list, a sliver of the 21 submissions received during Winter Quarter. The lucky scripts chosen for “Short Stack(s)” were chosen by the Lost Flamingo executive board, which was no easy task.
“Sometimes we had to reject elaborate plays to make the most of the ones we chose,” Producer Catie Coleman said. “We have to make it even.”
The powers that be definitely stacked this show with a set list that would make the Tony Awards seem like VH1’s “Acceptable TV.” OK, maybe not quite, but every individual play was created with just as much, if not more, intent to entertain.
“The Importance of Being British 2: The Coal Powered Boogaloo” is a comedic piece written by senior Eric Janeczek. The prequel was a hit at last year’s “Short Stack(s),” and the cast is ready to impress once again. This play follows two British men through the wild endeavors of trying to find female company -- at least for the night.
“American Girls,” a play about three female roommates with major relationship woes, is another play written by Janeczek. As they discuss their respective boyfriends, played by the same actor in different clothing, the boys make appearances throughout the skit.
“Under the Tent Madness,” written by sophomore Gina Beach, is a one-woman show that completely takes place under a tent. This drama depends entirely on the intriguing life story of the lone woman, played by freshman Kim Brack.
“That Bastard,” written by Whitney Evans, is a wickedly delicious two-person play taking place after one of the characters has broken up with her boyfriend. For advice, she turns to her best friend, who comes up with the idea to kill the ex by baking arsenic brownies for him.
One of the more intimate dramas, “Among the Finer Aspects of Late-Night Grocery Shopping,” was written by freshman Molly Hagan. Hagan wanted to bring awareness to a different perspective on abortion through the eyes of one Jane Doe, the name for a young girl who wishes to have the procedure without receiving parental consent.
As a playwright, Hagan has little to do with the creative process once the script is placed in the director’s hands. “I trust her to follow my vision,” Hagan said of Lauren Bee, director of “Late-Night Grocery Shopping.” “We talked about everything down to the specifics of what accent she would use. There are a lot of different details I never would have thought of.”
The next hilarious tale is sure to be found in “Meet My Dad,” written by junior Doug Devor. Imagine being the boyfriend in a situation where the girlfriend’s father is a veteran of four foreign wars, and his most prized possession is a jar of communists' teeth.
Take a chance with “A Friendly Game,” also written by Devor, which takes place around a Las Vegas Russian roulette table and has an entirely male cast. Four college frat guys and a Russian man are pressed to find a sixth player for their game and end up with a tourist who wanders into the casino.
“Should I Stay or Should I Go” is a drama written by junior Dionne Atchison about a couple who dated in college that went their separate ways... almost. The man is married with a baby on the way, and the woman works at a Macy’s makeup counter. The entire story takes place in one night, with the central theme being their forbidden affair.
The Lost Flamingo Co. puts a comedic twist on an old favorite with “Romeo and Juliet and Julie and Jules and an Old Senile Guy,” written by senior Eli Sairs. Romeo and Juliet have passed, and in the afterlife, Juliet finds that she is not the first to succumb to poison for the charming Romeo.
The event costs $2 to support Ohio University’s only student-run theater group, and in exchange, the audience is treated with a night of talent, laughter and thought-provoking theatre. Not bad for a steamy plate of “Short Stack(s)”!