Death by Laughter

Twilight Repertory Theatre
August 28 - September 20, 2009

Review by peanutduck

Murder mystery send up with tongue-in-cheek Portlandia twist – insider-giggles sprung from hometown-inspired theatre; identification leading to audience as co-conspirator in evening's experience. Fun is participant-dependent; be willing to play detective. During intermission people traded speculations, which made for lively second act interrogations. But… while the mystery’s solved, what’s the motive?

Parents and Children

Twilight Repertory Theatre
June 5 - 28, 2009

Summary:

Six plays are held together by a common theme – familial relationships - but vary from tragic to farcical and points in between. The playwrights include JJ Hawkins, John Duncan, David Gallic, Brian Koch, Karin Magaldi, and Gretchen Icenogle. Join them for a rollercoaster examination of that most perplexing human relationship.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Twilight Repertory Theatre
April 9 - 26, 2009

Review by peanutduck

The most vitriolic of lovers, well wrought by Beth Thompson and, particularly, John Duncan as ineffectual, impotent George. Production held back by unanswered central question: Why do guests endure abuse? Never felt the terror necessary to accelerate action as fun and games spiral out of control; unneeded pauses negate tension.

Arms and the Man

Twilight Repertory Theatre
January 2 - 24, 2009

Review by peanutduck

Low-brow British burlesque cozy in a barroom or thee-ay-tah. Twilight Rep pushes Shaw’s characters from upper-crust linguistic pedestals; instead commentating on characters’ foolishness through physical parody (face pulling, cape waving) and clever slides a la silent film, which emphasize and lower/raise tight, ironic wordplay to an everyman level of amusement.