Mission Mission

Brittany had to go out of town for work so she couldn’t go with me to see Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, produced by Crowded Fire Theater at the Thick House, which is the first show of their 2015 season. It’s a bummer because I really think Brittany would have liked it. I mean a story about how a brother and sister deal with the loss of their mother and being neglected by their father along with the complications that two teenage boys go through due to becoming more than friends, that is told in a humorous, honest, and touching way – definitely a Brittany show.

The Verdict: This was a refreshing piece of theater! It’s a story I haven’t seen done like this. If you enjoy heart warming, edgy stories that also make you laugh, this is a good time to check out Crowded Fire Theater. I have to admit this play had me almost moved to tears while smiling out loud.

The Drama Talk: It was well produced, with a simple, yet clear, set and the director used the space well. The 3 young characters, though played by adults, were well developed and you really care about them. The actor who played Benji (Maro Guevara) was so good I would swear he wasn’t acting, that it must just be who he is in real life.  I would say however, I didn’t leave wanting more because the show felt a little long.

Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them runs through March 21st at Crowded Fire Theater. Tickets are currently available on Goldstar for $10 dollars for this weekend. You can also get tickets directly from their website.

(Maro Guevara, Nicole Javier, and Wes Gabrillo)

Photo by Cheshire Isaacs

Last month I saw Old Hats at ACT. Bill Irwin is amazing. It was a really fun show, but I think that title would keep younger audiences away. If the theatre wants to get a new generation coming out, and they need to, they should really adopt a more modern naming convention, as this does this column. Katie & Brittany recently saw The Late Wedding, and while the title may not get you out of your chair, they say the play is worth it. Here’s their report:

[photo by Pak Han]

About a year ago Katie read a play called The Hundred Flowers Project by Christopher Chen in Theatre Bay Area magazine. She liked it so much she told Brittany “Whenever another Christopher Chen play is produced, we need to go”. That time arrived. Crowded Fire Theater Company commissioned the world premiere of Chen’s new work, The Late Wedding, and it’s now playing at The Thick House.

Katie: I really enjoyed the freshness of the format and devices Chen used. It really brought the audience into the story, and I liked that. I thought the staging was really neat, and the set was awesome. It was so inventive and the use of the space was creative, just that alone is worth seeing.

Brittany: I was continuously interested. At times I felt like the play was throwing me around, but it was fun how the playwright acknowledged it. I loved the asides to the audience, where they said, “That was weird huh, this is why” or “Relax and just go with it”. In the opening monologue we’re told to “trust the play and let it take you somewhere”, so after that I was open to it taking me anywhere, even though I didn’t always know where it was going.

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