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Prepare to sit a spell at TNT
By STEPHANIE OTTEY
NILES
Bring a cushion, stretch your legs and get comfortable for “Here We Sit.”
This ironic comedy written by L. Don Swartz will keep you in your seat for hours. (21/2, to be exact.)
Presented by Trumbull New Theatre, “Here We Sit” is a comedy that fans and participants of live theater will appreciate. The premise of “Here We Sit” is based on the stereotypical irritants in an audience — the candy un-wrappers, coughers and sleepers alike. These annoyances are repeatedly introduced through a series of scenes that play out like sketch comedy.
The show starts out strong, with an audience face-off and opening announcement that masks the transition from pre-show to show cleverly. The first scenes deal with situations that the actual audience has experienced firsthand within the last 30 minutes: picking a seat, dealing with seat neighbors, etc.
By scene 4, the script has deviated from this theme and connection, however, and has started touching on the frustrations of acting, directing and producing a show. By the second act, things have turned bizarre, the jokes turn into stereotypes and most of the sketches drag too much to be funny. Scenes such as “Research Says ...” are out of place and nonsensical, and “An Audience of One” brings the pace of the show down.
There’s a light improvisational feel about the show, with simple matching costumes of a T-shirt and jeans, lots of props and a very simple set cleverly designed by director Elizabeth Conrad to mock the interior of the Trumbull New Theatre auditorium.
This improvisational style is refreshing and fun when it’s really created off-the-cuff, but in this production it often comes off as sloppy. There’s a large amount of actor ad-libbing that appears more like scene-stealing. It clutters many scenes and draws focus from where it should be.
With an ensemble cast as large as this one, it’s naturally difficult to focus on individual performances; however, a few actors displayed the tact for performing amidst a group as well as singularly.
Rob Morris opens the show with “The Art of Picking Your Seat” and thus had the audience’s attention for the remainder of the show. Morris repeatedly makes smart choices, being energetic when needed, and then taking a step back to allow focus to land where it should.
David Sprockett shines in a more serious scene as an actor looking for an opportunity to prove himself. His ability to act calmly is only matched by his obvious comedic skill in other scenes. Sprockett is one of the most sincere performers on stage.
Megan Browning, recently seen in “God’s Favorite,” reels the audience in with “Actor Meltdown.” In this high-energy monologue, she engages the audience in a scene that is theatrically therapeutic. Any actress would steal the opportunity to scold her audience, and Browning tastefully achieves a level of ironic humor that any performer will appreciate.
Margie Johnson and Terri Gilbert team up as a pair of unforgettable old ladies who entertain with their cantankerous attitudes. Reminiscent of the old Muppet critics Statler and Waldorf, they continually critique the show they watch alongside the actual spectators for the evening and often have opinions that hit the mark.
Remaining in the cast are Brandi Baker, Craig Conrad, Ben Gavitt, Dawnelle Jewell, Paitence Knowles, Brian Lee, Ali Limperos, Jenny Long, Alex Lucas and Tim Phillips.
Director Conrad should be applauded for undertaking such a large and schizophrenic production. Although certain skits were slightly out of control, there were plenty of genuinely humorous moments, sprinkled with some local humor that provided a nice touch.