C: Is for Comedy that is vanity only

A good PR friend invited me to see a new show being done on Theatre Row, since this is in my new papers jurisdiction, I of course was more than happy to attend and review. I wish I could say more positive things but this was a case when the shows producers, produce so they can act. Not a bad scenario when you are perfect for the role, the play is well written and not predictable and or you have talent. None of the above applied. Shrunken Heads was performed at Playwrights Horizon, but this was not one of their shows. Instead it was by a company called Wild House Productions. The lead producer Kim Weller cast herself as the character, with the most difficult range and what transpired was a one of the worst acting performances I have had to sit through in a long time. Playing Dorothy Putney, she was suppose to be a women who is a neurotic, vain and narcissistic therapy patient who stalks her therapist and causes no end of trouble. One of her lines 10 minutes into her entering the stage is "nobody likes me" and by this point I wanted to scream "your right get off the stage." High pitch shrills are what was used instead of a layering of technique to make us even care one ounce for her. Note to Ms. Weller, put yourself in an outfit that is flattering instead of squeezing into a look so you are age appropriate. Mel House was also a producer who was cast as Polly Hyde, the antsiest of Dorothy. Ms Hyde fared better than Ms Weller, though it was little more than a college performance.

There were thankfully two highlights and when they were on stage it was like a breath of fresh air that said "ah, acting oh, yes, it exists." The first was Diane Henry who played Jennifer, the 1st wife of the therapist. Her every line was perfection. She took what could of been a cliche role and made it bitingly funny and I kept wishing she was in a better production. This women has the it factor. She knows how to move and how to look and each one is dead-on. She is like an onion that as it peels just keeps getting better and more complex and we see into the heart and soul of the character. Newcomer David Geller Hurwitz, showed that he had some acting chops as well and I hope to see more of him. The rest of the cast was adequate. As for the play cliche with some humorous lines thrown in. As for the direction, mismatched.

If it seems I am being to hard, please understand that when you ask me to give up three hours of my life (it takes time to get there)and I find out it is a vanity production...fine. Great actually if you have what it takes. But when it is this bad and this amateurish you deserve to be told. I want to thank Diane Henry and David Geller Hurwitz for making what could of been a disaster, bearable.