IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

What I liked

The Clown character was very strong and we looked forward to his appearances between the three shows. Even (what appeared to be improvised) the bit with a cupcake/candle and lighter) was strong and grounded.
In waiting for DiGiornos, the Devil/Demon character was very effective and made quite an impression. We actually wished we’d seen more of how he might have been actively “tormenting” the two women.
The Third piece, Vultures Circle, was a fascinating take on self-preservation and the need for connection. It’s tragic ending was a strong, heartbreaking twist. Katherine Michelle Heflin and Jake DeRusso brought great depth to their characters. Though I did wish that there was some establishment of “why” Jake’s character had breaks with reality that brought him to the child-like personality he played through most of the piece.

What I didn't like

One director – I found out later – who was sitting in the house, was actually saying the lines out loud along with her cast and laughing/reacting louder than anyone else to the point of distraction. Unfortunately, it detracted from the performance.
Mechanical Heart:
1 – We honestly weren’t really sure what the piece was supposed to be (comedy or drama). The grip character was playing comedy (and the actor had a great stage presence), but the other two characters were playing a drama.
2- There were some (easy to fix) inconsistencies in the script – the director said something like, I’m busy I have to go – and then sat down like she didn’t have to go, and had a conversation.
3- She kept talking to people on her walkie and never once said “Go for…” but always ended with “copy that”. On any film/tv set you must identify yourself and indicate you can communicate at that moment. We found that odd.
4 – This was kind of a big thing – a grip offering a director thoughts about a lead actor, or hitting on a director would be fired immediately. The character could have been upbeat, friendly or even clueless without those aspects (again an easy fix).
5 – There was a very nice moment towards the end between the director and the writer (who unfortunately kept upstaging himself) but ultimately, we had a crew person on a film set inappropriately declaring interest in a female director with no repercsussions, while the writer declared (very nicely) his heartfelt reason for writing the piece and his genuine interest in the director but being let down gently. As good as the actor was, if the grip character was cut, or adjustments made to his dialog and the piece was about the genuine emotions/connection or lack of one between the the writer and director, we think it would have been stronger.

Waiting for DiGiornos was interesting but also uneven. We took it to be about two women in hell, one interested in the other and the object of her interest not feeling the same way.
- We could have used some explanation of who they were? How did they get there? Why were they there? Why was one in a “bunny costume”?
- There was a play on words w/ ’It’s not delivery it’s DiGiorno" But if DiGiorno is not delivered … why were they waiting for it to be delivered? We didn’t understand that.
- The “Bunny Girl” was speaking so loudly throughout the whole thing, she might as well been screaming and her only direction appeared to be “jump up and down” and be frenetic. The other actress was playing a more grounded acting style – but again, it all could be fixed with just a bit more information.

My overall impression

I didn’t know what to expect going in. My overall impression was that it was an uneven presentation (performances, direction, scripts were at all different levels). There was a lot of unrealized potential.