The Lake George Mirror July 20, 2007

Theater Lab Mixes a Potent Comedy; "Gin/Jazz/Love/Drama" by The Lake George Lab

By Bates Childress

The wit was even drier than the Elsbeth Gilbert's famous martinis, both of which were served up frequently on and off stage at the Lake George Theater Lab's production of "Gin/Jazz/Love/Drama." This is a truly entertaining comedy set entirely in the mid-1920's parlor of the Gilbert siblings- Monty, Elsbeth and Claudia. The Gilberts are facing financial ruin which can only be avoided by marrying for money, or the even worse fate of actually earning a wage. Many playwrights have used this device to poke fun at self-important dilettantes but Heather Whaley takes it to a higher level of absurdity by mixing in a murder mystery, complete with baboons and pygmies. The lines are so clearly written that the audience was laughing from the opening words of the play. Everyone in this story has a secret, and as the Gilbert's gin fueled matchmaking dinner party rapidly unravels, the secrets are hilariously revealed.

There are only six cast members, the previously mentioned Gilbert siblings and their suitors. Anthony Porter is a wealthy man about town, who Monty has in mind for his sister Claudia, but she is smitten by over the hill Broadway star Lawrence Edwards. Thrice married Marjorie Wilcox is the target of Monty's affection. All were nicely cast. Jennifer Thompson plays the coquettish Claudia delightfully; Emily Fink masters the role of the dour Elsbeth and Stephen Bel Davies exudes the put upon Montague Gilbert. The supporting cast members get even more into their roles- Eddie Boroevich has soap opera star good looks ( his credits include "All My Children" and "Guiding Light") which serve him well in his duplicitous role of a well-heeled suitor; Gabra Zackman is able to humanize her Wallis Simpson-like character, and Eric Sutton plays a smarmy, Broadway has been on the make to perfection, right down to the cheesiest Hamlet soliloquy ever delivered.

These guys are all masters of their craft. with little rehearsal time, their characters were fully developed and worked off of each other beautifully. They not only delivered a great opening night performance but they did it under some very interesting physical conditions. It was an amazingly intimate performance. The play was performed at the Bolton Central School's gymnasium/theater. Except they didn't use the gymnasium part - the entire theater lab was confined to what is normally the stage area. This gave the theater company about 600 square feet for a stage, 60 seats and a sound booth! The folks in the front row just about had their feet on the Gilbert family's living room carpet. To perform that close to an audience requires a tremendous amount of focus and concentration.

In addition to coaxing an entertaining performance from his actors, director Michael Barakiva had a little fun with his extremely tight set. First ticket holders were offered expertly shaken martinis at the door, to get them in the mood. Then they were ushered into a space where everything was put on a diagonal- which effectively created a martini glass feel to the house. Kip Marsh did a great job of lighting this technically tricky space; Erica Beck Hemminger's fine costuming and Shoko Kambara's delightfully simple but elegant set design all reinforced the liquid ambiance of the jazz age.