by Maria Staiano-Daniels
Daily Lobo
Sometimes it takes an intimate theater to make a play with an intimate topic work.
Sol Arts Performance Space, where "Fantasies and Secrets" will be showing this weekend, is an intimate theater, physically as well as psychologically. Rows of seats form two sides of a triangular stage, making the audience part of the onstage action.
This intimacy is appropriate, as the two plays of "Fantasies and Secrets" both deal with romantic relationships: the good, the bad and the neurotic.
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"A Day at the Nighthawk," by UNM grad student Terry Gomez, is the story of Hope, an American-Indian woman trying to find the courage to escape a bad marriage. This premise sounds depressing, but Gomez's script treats the issue with a surprising amount of humor, never allowing the story to disintegrate into raw pathos.
The play is set partially inside Hope's diner, the Nighthawk, and partially inside Hope's head. Hope's daydreams, presented onstage, are especially funny. However, like the rest of the play, they deal with serious issues. The best was a romantic scene between Hope and her hunky coworker Pixel, complete with ruffled shirts and a breeze provided by extras with fans.
The acting was good throughout "Nighthawk." Nicole Jacot's portrayal of Hope was real. She handled difficult transitions - from anger, to excitement, to infatuation - with grace, and presented a sincere depth of emotion without overacting.
Some of the smaller roles were also well acted. Julie Nagle and John Ogren's portrayal of Esther and Sam, an old married couple with a surprising penchant for dirty jokes, was a refreshing interlude in the play.
It was impressive how quickly the actors switched from one role to another. Nagle exited the stage as a hunched old woman and entered the next scene as a giggly high school student. Only minor alterations in costume accompanied these changes in character, but she changed her mannerisms so completely that the difference was obvious.
"A Day at the Nighthawk" set the bar for the evening high, but the second one-act of the night, "Secrets and Other Indulgences," did not disappoint.
"Secrets," by Rebecca Orchant, deals with the relationship of Ellis and David, two people whose secrets interfere with their chance at happiness.
The performances of this play were, if possible, even better than those in "A Day at the Nighthawk." "Secrets" is a witty play - filled with urbane, sophisticated humor - but also a dramatic play involving betrayal, lies, love and fear. The actors maneuvered in this complicated landscape with the ease of skill, creating characters so realistic that it felt voyeuristic to watch them, like peeking through someone's curtains.
Liezl Carstens and Benjamin Liberman were excellent as Ellis and David, each inhabiting a set of unique and believable neuroses that never decayed into caricature. The real highlight of the play, however, was Justin Lenderking's portrayal of Mike George, David's shady friend. Mike is absolutely loathsome in almost every way, yet somehow Lenderking managed to get a smidgen of sympathy from me.
Neither of the one-acts in "Fantasies and Secrets" falls under the heading of romantic comedy, but it would be appropriate to take your main squeeze down to Sol Arts. At least you'll know your relationship could never be as complicated and messed up as the ones onstage.
