Short & Sweet: Week 3a
Seymour Centre Downstairs Theatre, Sydney; Short & Sweet
Tuesday, January 29, 2008. Opening Night Performance. Review by TROY DODDS.

Until February 2. Bookings: 1300 306 776.

Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years From Now?
A disappointing start to the evening's entertainment. This piece about a wayward and surreal job interview never leaves the garage let alone the driveway. It's a waste of time, it's strange and the acting is cardboard at best.

Confused Sea Conditions
A well-written, at times heart-warming play about a cancer patient and her doctor. It looks at the patient's hopes and wishes throughout her illness, and gives us a look at the doctor's perspective too. He may not have cancer, but he feels the pain and suffering and it's a wonderful, thought-provoking insight. Some strong acting here from Anna Hruby and Barrie French.


Sad Song [Pictured]
Anna Zeigler's play is probably the most entertaining of the night. It doesn't touch on any serious issues but it also doesn't fall into the short play trap of simply being about nothing. This is a cute little piece, with a top performance from Zoe Tuckwell-Smith who is delightful as a young girl dealing with the verge of adulthood and perhaps her first serious relationship decision.


Not Proud

A quirky piece featuring cast members brilliantly disguised as audience members. This play is quite simply about sex, moreso the moments we're not so proud of. It's funny, doesn't take itself too seriously and even has some choreography thrown in!


The Flatfoot Used Facebook
I can only presume this is some sort of film noir spoof. Some people in the audience found it funny. Maybe they can explain to me what was funny about it, and in fact what was good about it on any level. Easily the most disappointing piece of the night. Stupid, repetitive and pointless jokes. Have a nap while this one is on.


The Zookeepers
Here's the "one in every 10" that doesn't quite live up to where it could go. It's a slightly amusing piece about two zookeepers who meet an untimely death at the hands of meerkats. There's some good one-liners here and even the core of a good script, but it could go to so many more places and it really does fail to deliver.

Frostbite

High school drama at best. There's some nice acting performances but it just didn't work for me. I'll be honest - this was the most painful 10 minutes I've ever spent in a theatre.

Duet With A Dictionary
A nice little play that looks at the power of the printed word. Can one possibly memorise every word in the dictionary, even if they have no idea how to structure a sentence using said words? Duet With A Dictionary does a great job at looking at the meaning of language and its influence. Some fine acting performances, and a welcome diversion from the play before it.

Walk With Me
This one is amusing enough. It focuses on Trev, a clean freak who knows all there is to know about germs and bacteria. On the way home one night, he meets two girls who not only change his way of thinking, but perhaps convince him there is more out there in the world. This isn't the best play of the night, but it's far from the worst.

The Job Interview Sketch
Like most job interviews, the best part of this play was the ending. The piece is funny at times, but doesn't really go anywhere, nor does it seem to have a point. The play works because it scores a few easy laughs, and perhaps that is enough to please an audience.