Theater Night of Theaterwritten by Rod Peter Jr. and directed by Andrew Young, is a humorous piece that pokes fun at the idea One-man shows. The play is an introduction to the one-man show that Sebastian Atticus Montague-Augustus Sterling-Wilde Thornebrook (Tich Wilson) wants to put on in order to make some quick money. As it turns out, it’s not that easy.
Thornebrook is the butt of all the jokes. His character is an audio writer, meaning he skips the writing part of the books and records himself telling the story. He makes it clear that he thinks he’s too good to actually read books or learn about theater. The play pokes fun at people who think performing at fringe festivals is an easy task. It makes it clear that it’s definitely not an easy thing, even if Thornebrook himself will never realize that.
He has no respect for any aspect of the theater and no respect for his previous cast and crew. The only reason his one-man show is a one-man show is because disaster strikes around every corner. First he framed his entire crew for a murder they didn’t commit. Then a hive killed his new cast and crew. So Thornebrook takes on every role himself and tells the audience the whole story.
One of his quirks is a habit of mispronouncing words to make them sound more sophisticated, but ultimately come across as ridiculous. The mispronunciations were scattered throughout the play and got a few laughs from the audience. He also explains everything in excess, describing every facial expression and movement before he acts them out. Things like saying “she trembled” and then shaking on stage, or “his eyes widened” before widening his eyes got a few laughs from the audience. Wilson delivered these lines well and made Thornebrook’s silliness even funnier. But by the end of the play, the humor of these running gags had worn off.
He rambles on for far too long, and that is the whole Theater Night of Theaterand it was amusing for about the first half of the play. The whole joke lost its appeal in the second half. Then I just waited for something more interesting to happen.
The script relied on the running gags and this part to keep the audience engaged and laughing. Unfortunately, they lost their edge and were too long to have the intended effect.
The real one-man technical crew of Theater Night of Theater did a great job with sound and lighting. They never missed a cue. The use of sound, whether it was thunder or dramatic music, made some of the jokes funny. Without the sound, those jokes just wouldn’t have come across. In addition, the lighting had the same effect at some points in the play.
The play’s author, Peter Jr., focused on this part of the play well offstage. As the audience entered the theater, programs for Thornebrook’s play were distributed. They included a biography of Thornebrook and a critique he had written for his own play. In addition, he wrote a complete collection of short stories “by Thornebrook” that audiences could buy in print. It added humor to the play even after it was over.
Wilson’s performance, Peter Jr.’s commitment and the skill of the crew cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, the play went on too long and the part lost its charm. Had it been shorter or the second half of the play been more interesting, the play would have been a gem of the Fringe.
Theater Night of Theater plays at the Fringe Festival until August 25th.
