Review: "The Best of the Blizzard"

whitney smith

August 24, 2008 by whitney smith

0 votes

The concept for "The Best of the Blizzard," a compilation of short plays presented by the Bloomington Playwrights Project for IndyFringe, is smart and funny.

But the execution of the idea isn't nearly as effective.

On the theory that we're living in an era of short attention spans, "The Best of the Blizzard" consists of very short plays. The gimmick is this: If you hate the show, at least it will end soon.

But maybe not soon enough.

Actors Theatre of Louisville has presented short plays quite well through the years, in the form of 10-minute play festivals.

During "The Best of the Blizzard," most plays seemed to last three or four minutes. The IndyFringe program promised 14 plays by Hoosier writers. The program passed out at Friday's opening show listed 18 titles.

A few of the short plays -- such as Doug Bedwell's "That First Kiss," about an overly analytical woman, and his "Pickle," about an overprotective diner -- provided some laughs. Jim Poyser's "In My Absence," in which a housesitter learns scary details about the homeowner, was darkly humorous.

Overall, the quality of shows ranged from the sublime to a ridiculous waste of time.

Because the same few players supplied the casts for all the shows, and because several works were on similar themes, the pieces began to run together.

Before long, it was sensory overload. Too much too fast.

Maybe my attention span was blown.

Maybe that was the point.


'The Best of the Blizzard'

What: A Bloomington Playwrights Project as part of IndyFringe.

Next show: 4:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Runs through Aug. 31.

Where: Phoenix Theatre.

Bottom line: A good idea run ragged.

Posted in groups: IndyFringe

Forum: Talk

Tags: 

Culture, theatre, things to do, Bloomington Playwrights Project, IndyFringe, Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, The Best of the Blizzard

Follow this thread

0 comments

or register to leave a comment.

Logo_colophon Print_logo

© 2008 The Indianapolis Star Media Group.
All rights reserved.

Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, updated December 2008.

Partners
The Indianapolis Star Media Group