Review: All in the Timing

Any comedian will tell you that success or failure depends on timing. There's plenty of both adroitly displayed in David Ives sextet of one-act comedies published under the umbrella title All in the Timing. This production launches the new season of plays by the Mississauga Players at Burnhamthorpe Library Theatre.

Timing of course is the backbone of these pieces but some work better than others. The opening playlet The Philadelphia, for example, generates few true laughs. This is partly due to a flat script and partly due to the tentative performances that rob the scene of its tension. Ken Freeman comes off best here as the anxious customer.

Michelle Hoffman and Ryan Kinghorn in the second play Sure Thing, are much more secure and nail the split second timing the staccato dialogue requires.

The third play, The Universal Language, has the most intriguing concept: A young woman named Dawn shows up for a class with a young man named Don where she learns a new universal language. Sandy Ingratta as the mousy student is a perfect counterpart of Reid Mowat's teacher. The wordplay in this section is particularly effective.

The wordplay in Words Words Words is also quite clever as three monkeys spend endless hours at typewriters trying to create Hamlet. This playlet is somewhat undone by over length but there are quite a few funny lines delivered by Randy Bridge, Michelle Hoffman and Ken Freeman.

In Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread the simple exchange of dialogue becomes a repetitive symphony. Its very clever but will mean more to those who know Philip Glass's musical style.

The final act, titled Variations of the Death of Trotsky stretches beyond the point of interest without ever leading a big finish despite the best efforts of Reid Mowat and June O'Brien as Trotsky and his wife.

These plays are given a straightforward staging by Fran Goddu utilizing some simple, functional sets that seem to take a while to change. Perhaps some musical stingers to accompany the set changes would help isolate each play and provide bit of punctuation between them.  After all, it'sAll in the Timing.

All in the Timing – Six one-act comedies by David Ives plays Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM at Burnhamthorpe Library Theatre, 1350 Burnhamthorpe road until Saturday September 15. Tickets are $20 and available by calling the box office at 905-812-1759.

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