InGenius 2012 Review

InGenius 2012: Secrets Concealed/Secrets Revealed
By Christopher Ely

InGenius 2012: Secrets Concealed/Secrets Revealed ran from
Sunday-Tuesday, May 7-22. All performances were at 8pm at The Kraine
Theater. Presented by manhattan theatre source and The Writers’ Forum.

Manhattan Theatre Source’s InGenius festival returns once again with InGenius 2012: Secrets Concealed/Secrets Revealed, five one-act plays that showcase a diverse group of talent and exciting, inventive minds.

​The night begins with C.J. Ehrlich’s The Red & Green Room, a proto-No Exit for the video game set that evolves into a look at dedication, determination, and motivation. Eddie Furth is Luigi, the less famous Italian plumber who yearns for a chance to prove himself on stage. Eric Robertson is his older brother Mario, the star of the show who gets all the attention but must also suffer. Patrick Walsh as Yoshi and Stephanie Masucci as Princess Peach provide well-crafted emotion and flavor in their roles. Walsh in particular adeptly conveys the seasoned, reliable veteran who knows he’ll never be the star.

The Adventure of Barry Sachs, by Ed Malin, is film noir as told by an absurdist. Daniel Cohen is Barry Sachs, an old school private detective hired to find out the true story behind the death of a small-town mayor. His investigation sets him on a search for the Slovak Book and leads to encounters with a delightful mix of characters that, naturally, aren’t telling all they know and can’t be trusted entirely. Malin’s inventive wordplay and anarchic plotting create an ingeniously fun story but could have used more consistent pacing and assertive performances. James Reiser brings perfect manic energy to his role as the mayor’s son, and Chrysten Peddie adds magnificent intrigue as the mayor’s daughter and her lesbian partner.
In DeLisa White’s The Rationale, the President has just been assassinated and his staff is meeting to decide how to proceed to ensure the country’s best interests are protected. The weight of their decisions involves the things that most politicians won’t say out loud, and the entire cast—James Michael Armstrong, Paula Hoza, Mary Murphy, James Reiser, and John Say—does an excellent job in letting the silences and knowing glances fill the air to create tension and drive the action.

John McKinney’s Fly Season is the one of the show’s highlights. The most well-rounded piece of the evening, the writing is concise and developed, and both actors give enjoyable performances. Jessica Knutson plays Em’Lee, who has returned from New York City to her home down South to share some exciting news with her mother, played by Diane Tyler. Knutson is heart-wrenching in portraying Em’Lee’s struggle to draw her mother into her new life and showing her frustration whenever she realizes how easily she risks slipping back into her old one. Tyler similarly embodies her character fully, conveying Mama as someone who has been beaten down by the world. The ending, when she realizes what her attitude might truly cost her, provides a sweet, satisfying resolution.

The evening is capped off with Bones in the Machine, by Alaina Hammond, a reminder of the dangers of living in an age where you can be 23 forever thanks to camera phones and the Internet. Jessica Jennings plays a young teacher who is being asked to resign after a student has discovered an old video of her on Youtube giving a raunchy stand-up comedy performance. The confrontation with the headmistress, played by Katherine Wessling, becomes both an exciting duel of wits and a brilliant discourse on morality. Jennings is captivating in her role as she fights on knowing she will lose her job but can still walk away victorious. In a breathtaking—and hilarious—turn, she is ultimately able to seize the upper hand on her superior and walk away with her head held high.

As do the playwrights, directors, actors, and ultimately the audience.