'Bees' encourages small cast to shine

How does a virgin describe their first time? Well ... it depends. It could be "OH, MY GOD, YES!! YES!!" or it could be "That was it? What just happened? Did I miss something?" or even "Man, I think I'm going to throw up!"

Well, this Performance Network virgin's "first time" with this small theater located at 408 W. Washington St., (just a small jaunt west of downtown's Main Street), was not exactly orgasmic. The atmosphere of the cozy little theater was pleasing, however, as was the production of the off-Broadway play, "As Bees in Honey Drown," written by talented playwright Douglas Carter Beane.

"The New York Times" describes the play as "a delicious soufflé of satire." What a perfectly succinct description! The satire comes to life as Alexa Vere de Vere, a fast-talking, cosmopolitan woman, persuades a budding young writer, Evan Wyler, to write about the story of her crazy and adventurous life. She introduces him to the glamorous big-city life of fame and fortune as he straps on for the ride through her past and present adventures.

Courtesy of Performance Network Carla Milarch and Brendan McMahon are part of the small "Bees" cast.

These adventures are not always what they seem, however, for during this smooth, yet intricate plot line, Evan Wyler comes to a realization about not only how the world can work, but who he really is and what he really wants in life. Beane masterfully creates a script full of swerves and swoops that produces one surprise after the next.

Besides writing the scripts for a few other New York productions, Beane also wrote the screenplay for the film "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar." This screenplay allowed actors Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguziamo to shine like stars. The well-written script for "As Bees in Honey Drown" also opens the door for its actors to shine, and though they didn't shine bright enough to guide three wise men to a manger, it was enough to get at least two of them to the stable.

Despite a few missed lines characteristic of opening night, the cast performed quite well with a script of long, tongue-twisting lines and reactions that play quickly off each other. Carla Milarch's character, Alexa Vere de Vere, has the most extreme case of these tongue-twisters, and she pulls off this difficult job quite impressively. Theater student Brendan McMahon's protagonist character, Evan Wyler, often requires powerful emotional demonstrations sans words, which he communicates exceptionally well. The small cast has four other actors, Thomas Cooch, Tobin Hissong, Kathy Kauffmann and theater student Maggie Smith, that play a myriad of other well-acted supporting characters.

The minimalist approach to props, lighting and sound effects in this production work splendidly. Stage manager Tricia Smith and her crew orchestrated the special effects just enough to enhance the story so that the audience is distracted from the acting.

Director Robyn Heller's production of "As Bees in Honey Drown" is, if nothing else, a fun little job through the theatrical woods. Besides "As Bees in Honey Drown," Performance Network has five other plays yet to come this season.

If you don't see the current show, check out one of the other five, for it is delightful to see successful professional theater outside of big cities such as Toronto or New York.

09-20-99