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2 Comedic One-Acts Are Engaging and Entertaining

It's hard to believe that so much laughter could be generated by two one-act plays that have such serious subjects at their core. The first play of the Firebox Theatre Company's 2 Comedic One-Acts -- Lynn Nottage's Poof! -- shows us the aftermath of a serious case of domestic abuse. For the second play -- Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter -- we are flies on the wall during a brief period of time before a pair of hitmen do their job.

Let the record state that Firebox Theatre Company's production of both of these blends of upfront comedy, backed by a dose of food-for-thought, make for engaging and entertaining theater that I can heartily recommend -- hats-off to director Cora Hemphill!

Poof!

Lauren Ragsdale and J. Ra'Chel Fowler star as Laureen and Florence in Poof! by Lynn Nottage (photo by David Leone)

Laureen (Lauren Ragsdale) yells the inciting line, "Damn you to hell!" at her husband Samuel (who does not appear on stage). And then -- poof! -- there is darkness, and he spontaneously combusts. It takes Laureen a minute or so to realize that a pile of ashes topped with a pair of glasses is what's left of her husband. Likewise, it takes a minute or so for us to realize how seriously abused she must have been. Her pitiful line "I'll be good if you come back" is telling, as are her references to dinner, to a shirt, and to a jacket. (When the jacket becomes an issue, pay attention!)

Laureen calls her friend Florence (J. Ra'Chel Fowler), and asks her to come down to her apartment. Ragsdale and Fowler play off each other very well, keeping the scene moving at a brisk pace. Their dialogue and their antics keep us laughing, but the reality stays in the back of our minds -- these are two victims of domestic abuse who have been struggling to survive and to cope.

Poof! by Lynn Nottage stars J. Ra'Chel Fowler stars as Florence (photo by David Leone)

Nice Touches:

• Laureen's reference to her possibly being canonized as "the patron saint of battered wives."
• The need to choose between scotch and champagne (as well as which one they choose).
• The timidity with which Ragsdale invests her character at key moments (especially as she approaches the pile of ashes) as well as the character's later bold resolve.
• The "I just took a drink" face that Fowler flashes after each sip.
• The [... wait for it ...] final moment -- brilliant!

Lauren Ragsdale stars as Laureen in Poof! (photo by David Leone)

The Dumb Waiter

The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter stars Tim Artz (left) as Gus and Michael Foley as Ben (photo by David Leone)

Is anyone surprised that a Harold Pinter play has a play-on-words for a title?

• Is this a play about an actual dumbwaiter, "a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food"?
• Or is it about a server in a restaurant (a waiter)?
• Or is it simply about somebody who is waiting for an event to take place?
• And are we to understand "dumb" as a synonym for mute? Or as an indication of low intelligence?

The answer to all of these questions: "yes."

• The set includes an actual dumbwaiter in the upstage wall.
• There is food being served.
• There are two men who are waiting for explicit instructions before they do their job.
• One of these men speaks much less than the other, so he, in a sense, is "dumb."
• And the other seems to be less intelligent, so he also could be termed "dumb."

Michael Foley (left) and Tim Artz star as Ben and Gus The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter (photo by David Leone)

Co-producer Tim Artz (as Gus) and Michael Foley (as Ben) are another well-matched pair. Again, the characters' dialogue and antics keep us laughing while the backs of our minds are engaged with the realities of a society in which the profession of "killers-for-hire" exists and people seek and accept the job.

Nice Touches:

• Gus's fumble-fingered business with his shoes and the banter over "light the kettle."
Ben's detached comments about newspaper articles (and the irony!).
• Ben's reaction to Gus invading his space (by sitting on his bed).
• The liverpudlian accents (as well as the songs chosen to lead into this play) -- their conversation had the music and cadence one would expect in a conversation between George Harrison and Gerry Marsden.
• The hitman costumes and props (courtesy of Brenda Holden).
• The actual, functioning dumbwaiter (courtesy of set designer Laura League and/or set construction team: Will Holden, John Riddle, Julia Riddle, and Josh Hemphill) (and kudos to its uncredited backstage operator).
• The surprise ending.

Firebox Theatre Company's first-ever production -- Two American Classics: Trifles and Hello Out There -- was also a pair of one-act plays. I applaud their courage for trusting this little-used format, and I congratulate them for making it so successful on both occasions.

Final Nice Touch: The decision to include the following information in the program:

Poof! -- 20 minutes
10-Minute Intermission
The Dumb Waiter -- 50 minutes

In case I have not been clear: this show has the Kurt Benrud Seal of Approval.

The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter stars Michael Foley (left) as Ben and Tim Artz as Gus (photo by David Leone)

2 COMEDIC ONE-ACTS: POOF! by Lynn Nottage and THE DUMB WAITER by Harold Pinter (In Person at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 23-25) (Firebox Theatre Company at the Cotton Company Event Gallery in Wake Forest). VIDEOS: https://www.facebook.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/videos/. PRESENTER: https://www.fireboxtheatre.com/, https://www.facebook.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/, and https://www.instagram.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/. 2023 SEASON: https://www.fireboxtheatre.com/performances. VENUE: https://www.thecottoncompany.net/, https://www.facebook.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/thecottoncompanyofwakeforest, and https://www.instagram.com/thecottoncompany. DIRECTIONS/MAP: https://www.google.com/maps/. POOF! (1993 short play): https://www.playscripts.com/play/1062 and https://www.broadwayplaypublishing.com/the-plays/poof/. LYNN NOTTAGE (Brooklyn, NY-born 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama-winning playwright and screenwriter): http://www.lynnnottage.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/lynn-nottage-483794, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/3672, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636618/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Nottage. THE DUMB WAITER (1960 short play): https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=639, http://www.haroldpinter.org/plays/title_dumbwaiter.shtml, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dumb_Waiter. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. HAROLD PINTER (East London-born and 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature-winning playwright and screenwriter, 1930-2008): http://www.haroldpinter.org/home/index.shtml, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/harold-pinter-6084, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/2826, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0056217/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Pinter. CONTENT ADVISORY: POOF! contains ADULT LANGUAGE. TICKETS: $25, plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: fireboxtheatre@gmail.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Firebox Theatre Company and the Cotton Company Event Gallery.

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