Allison's PLAF Diary for Friday, September 4th

'Ships (Future Performances)
I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy. And I certainly don't mind some twists on convention to make things a little more interesting (think classic comedy of errors with a modern twist). Actually, imagine a "Brain," a "Jock," a "Princess," and one Semi-Normal Human Being. Now instead of being stuck together in detention (yes, Shawn O'Shea, I did just compare you to John Hughes and William Shakespeare. You're welcome.), they have to hole up in the Brain's spaceship in order to avoid being oblitherated by the astroid about to hit earth. And they're all in love with the "wrong" people. 'Ships was witty, charming, well-written, and nicely acted. Minor mistakes like line drops were easy to overlook considering the characters were fully-formed and cast had a cohesive chemistry about them.

Often you never know what to expect with Fringe Shows, and as it was the very first performance for the cast in Philly Shakespeare Theatre 'Ships hit a little snag at intermission. A mistimed music cue combined with house lights flickering on and off left the audience confused as to whether the actors would re-enter or not. Since no one moved cast members came back on stage to both announce they were taking a short break and begin the set change. The music that I suspect was supposed to cover up the sound of a screwgun was conspicuously absent throughout their struggle with a background flat and Dr Who style TARDIS Police Box doorway. This minor problem should be cured with a little practice, and perhaps a head's up for the audience before the start of the show that there will be one brief intermission. I fully expect the show will only improve all round as it goes deeper into its run.
Festival Rating: Good to Very Good.
Funny Rating: Laugh out Loud

Super Heroes Who Are Super! (Future Perfromances)
Between dramatic pauses and silly props hilarity such as "Crack!" "Tough Guy Dodge!" and "Thought Bubble:" ensued at Super Heroes Who Are Super!. It was like watching a truly funny live sitcom mixed with an improv session mixed with a fantastically terrible farce. I noted attempted audience participation a la Rocky Horror at Friday's showing (The Amazing Spider-Man #129 - The Punisher Strikes Twice), and although the actors mostly ignored it, it might have been a very interesting addition. The play was certainly short enough to allow enough time for pauses for audience shout-backs and improvised character retorts. For more even more comic book fun, Plays and Players is also presenting episodes of Batman and Wonder Woman. If you're amused by penis jokes, physical comedy, and narrators who get frustrated when other characters keep stepping on their lines, bust a gut at all three.
Festival Rating: Good to Very Good
Funny Rating: Practically Riotous

Zombie! The Musical (Future Perfromances)
I know it's still in workshop, but Zombie! The Musical let me down. I wanted it to be awesome, or at least awesomely bad. I wanted the song and dance equivalent of Shaun of the Dead. I got mostly unoriginal jokes that fell flat. I wanted a bad-ass zombie killer like Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil. I got Bella, a bitter soccer mom with a knife. I wanted the mad scientist to give me real hope before all hope was lost. I got a half-baked Christopher Lloyd meets Bill Nye impression. I wanted cleverness and innovation. I got the same bloody stage tricks used in William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead. You get the idea.

For a musical, Zombie! certainly could have used more actual music. The book was weighty and out of proportion. And let me just say, a drunk soon-to-be zombie stumbling through a song isn't a plot device, it's a lyrical cop-out. Our adorable, retro, and clueless young couple torn apart by zombie infection certainly acted their parts, but when they sang it sounded small and tight and they struggled with real projection. Don't get me wrong, there were bright spots like "Trapped Like Rats" where the harmonies were quite nice and Bella, the Zombie Killer's voice soared. "Monster" was also pretty good and the Sobriquets were a perfectly competant house band. But for every upswing there was a down: like why was the town sherriff dressed like a cheap security guard?

Halfway through the midnight showing I found myself desperately fighting sleep. I couldn't help thinking if the voices were stronger, the songs more engaging, the jokes funnier, tiredness wouldn't have been an issue.The intermission outlined in the program was skipped, probably due to the fact that Zombie! has no real act breaks anyway, just one predictable, fluid downslide into un-death. I heard a fellow audience member say upon leaving "Now that's a musical I can get behind." I'm glad somebody enjoyed it, but I just can't agree. In fact, after having been disappointed with both Zombie! The Musical and William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead. I think I'm nearly convinced zombies don't really lend themselves well to the stage. Or at least not to Plays and Players stage. But if you're in love with the idea of singing flesh-eating mutants, you don't have to take my word for it, see it and judge for yourself. Although it's worth noting that none of the fully turned zombies actually sing. They're too busy trying to devour brains.
Festival Rating: Medicore
Funny Rating: Mildly Amusing