Jill's PLAF Diary for Tuesday, September 11

That's Why They Don't Call It a Picnic
I wasn't planning on writing about this show. Seeing it, yes. Writing about it, no. Because I'm a member of Vagabond Acting Troupe, and I figured it might be a bit of a conflict of interest, even though I didn't work on the show and was only peripherally aware of its production. But then the Theatre Alliance listserv blew up over the piece, and I figured that because I'm writing a Festival diary as opposed to Festival reviews, I could quite ethically talk about the show. But just in case that's not enough for you, I'm also running a statement of disclosure:

The author of this piece is a member of the Vagabond Acting Troupe Core Ensemble. However, she has no affiliation whatsoever with That's Why They Don't Call It a Picnic, nor has she ever met its creator/performer Christian Lisak.

Christian Lisak just got back to Philadelphia two weeks ago. Before that, he'd been serving time in a federal prison camp for a drug-related conviction (I believe it was conspiracy to sell, but I don't recall). This show is about the events leading up to his incarceration, as well as his experience in prison. That's where some of the Theatre Alliance controversy came in: a member of the listserv sent an open message denouncing Christian, Vagabond, and the show's producers for profiting from an illegal activity. (It's Fringe, so "profit" is an exaggeration, but still...) The mailing list, usually used to announce shows and auditions and occasional apartment availability, erupted in debate. But what of the show?

It's imperfect. A work in progress, really, more than a fully-realized production. Slides are used, but very hard to see as they're projected on the black rear wall of the Second Stage, rather than on a white screen. Christian lost his place more than once. He used notes and spent most of his time behind a desk. Very Spalding Grey. Very extemporaneous.

But for all its flaws, Christian Lisak has presented his audience with what is quite possibly the most human production of this year's festival. And what is most definitely the one most worthy of discussion. Tonight is the last performance, and I really encourage you to see it now, in its rawest and most real form, before it becomes more polished or more theatrical.

The Milky Way Cabaret
Credited in the Festival guide as "a theatrical love letter to Philadelphia written through the eyes of a visiting playwright," The Milky Way Cabaret is neither cabaret nor romantic. In fact, for the most part, it's the complete opposite of both of those things.

That doesn't make it bad. It just means that the show you're expecting to see when you settle in to the cabaret space at Plays and Players isn't actually the show you're seeing at all. It takes a while to adjust. Maybe that's why the show starts off slowly. Or maybe the show just starts off slowly, and in a rather disjointed manner.

But eventually, things come together and the show starts to pick up, culminating with an impressive illusion and a surprising denouement. My initial boredom and/or confusion at realizing I wasn't seeing a cabaret performance disappeared as soon as I was able to fit the final puzzle pieces together, and ultimately, I found The Milky Way Cabaret to be a solid, if subtly flawed, show.