By Bob Morrison
Playwright Joan Bellsey hangs her ExFiles story on a Lesbian mom’s struggle to find strength to wage a custody fight with her ex-lover over their son. In this quest, she is assisted by a varied array of former lovers--with various degrees of success.
But don’t expect unbroken intensity. Bellsey deftly contrasts emotionally draining scenes with right-on touches of laugh-out-loud comedy.
The production benefits from a cast and crew that reads like a Who’s Who of Washington theater. Jane E. Petkofsky, for example, plays Emma with convincing self-doubt, leavened with episodes of tentative bravery. Director Dorothy Neumann’s expert pacing enhances the plot throughout.
Holly Twyford brings relentless southwest optimism to the character of TJ. And Charles St. Charles, Brilane Bowman, Samantha Merrick and Barbara Klein bring their characters convincingly to life.
At the end, Emma’s nemesis brings along her PowerPoint presentation, a compendium of lecture don’t-dos we’ve all seen, and carries it off with an unwitting bravado that reaches new heights of comedic achievement. I mean, gales of laughter with the appearance of each slide.
Unfortunately, there’s only one more ExFiles performance--on Thursday the 26th at 7:30 p.m. But the photos on my Bonnie Briar Productions web site will be available longer and there are more of them. You're welcome to visit.
Cheers.
Bob
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