18 June 2004
12 Short of a Dozen
The first ever request I received to "review" a show led me to see our friend Molly Hawkey in 12 Short of a Dozen at the Attic Theatre. Molly shot me an email asking for "an honest/hard-core/brutal review" of her show and her work, as well as on its writing, marketing, the space. So, let's just start by saying I went into this show with a mission in mind. I'd been asked to "rip [me] to shreds" in the quest for ever-improving work. All righty then.
First, some backstory: I was a member of the Attic Theatre Company in 1999-2000. It was then in its original space on Theatre Row (Santa Monica Blvd.) and I spent a lot of time up those stairs, putting in work hours, doing tech, acting in the Christmas show, babysitting the theatre manager's 25-pound cat, reading scripts for the one act contest, participating in staged readings, converting much of their world to an electronic-based template on their archaic computer, etc. I LOVED being a part of the Attic. Still call a few of the members (who weathered the move to the new space and a year or more of a non-existant company) my dear friends (including Thia Stephan, TL Kolman, and Harlene Marshall). The Attic Theatre always did amazing work, groundbreaking staged readings and adaptations of classics and modern theatrical pieces, always well-received and well-reviewed in the trades. The company was 60 members, back when I was in the company, and from the wall of headshots at the new space, I'd say they're now a company of 30... and this particular show did not appear to be a "company" production. Not sure whether the 12 Short of a Dozen crew rented the space or worked there as a lab group, etc.
The new Attic Theatre space (at 5429 W. Washington Blvd.) is easy to drive past in this industrial area. After circling back around, we found ample street parking (no secure parking as advertised on the Attic's voicemail). It was odd walking into a space that isn't "an attic" as the old Attic space surely was, but there was a lot that was odd about this experience (from my history to the mindset I'd been asked to go into this show with). I did like the 32-seat space with GREAT legroom in the back row, lush burgandy walls and ceiling and the NICEST bathroom I've seen in a small theatre space like this (much better than the old Attic restrooms).
Okay, let's begin by saying that Molly Hawkey rocks. Sitting in the lobby, I looked through the cast profiles in the program and saw, among the cutsey bios (some--like Allison Kramer's bio--quite funny) the simple line beside Molly's photo: "Win with the chin!" Yep. She's that kooky, drawing attention to her Jay Leno-esque feature. Love it. Great tone-setter for the show we were about to see.
Two general notes about the show (13 sketch comedy pieces... 12 of which should've been shorter) are this: not every cast member needs to appear in each sketch (conserve your resources, leave us wanting more, etc.) and music that leads INTO the sketch should introduce the mood and theme, not the music that leads OUT of a sketch (a very Mike Sametz-like convention, from my six-month stint at The Next Stage). Not having every member of the cast in each sketch (or nearly every member) would cut down on the between-sketch downtime, which was too long. It would also allow for more complete costume/wig changes, which could've improved some of the overall feel of the show.
I realized, just a few moments into the show, that it was quite similar in tone to the many sketch shows I'd seen or worked on with The Next Stage (in 2000). I could visualize the writing, directing, brainstorming process, in which each performer was likely asked to create a sketch (rather than deferring to the BEST writers in the group to carry all of the writing duties) and each performer was represented in each sketch. I remember disliking that part of sketch comedy at The Next Stage, because I felt that strength was often in using the best writers to handle WRITING and having economy of resources in the casting and LENGTH of each sketch. So, while the whole show could've been more enjoyable for me with some tightening, more heavy-handed direction (not letting so much free-form stuff go on during the creation process), and slashing of jokes that weren't working, I generally enjoyed the experience, simply because it reminded me so much of my past lives with both the Attic and the Next Stage.
But that's not why I was asked to be there. So, now that ALL of that other stuff is out of the way, let's get to the performances.
Sara O'Hair is quite cute. Jason Boegh does the freak role very well but overuses a Yankee accent for some reason. John Parr, while good with impressions/impersonations, couldn't hold back his smile too often. And it wasn't fun like watching Harvey Korman and Tim Conway break up during old Carol Burnett Show sketches. We weren't laughing WITH John Parr. Mark Weiler does the nerd well. It's truly scary what a transformation he undergoes when trading hard-body stuff for the nerd role. Really great potential for a hotty "reveal" under a nerdy exterior, if he wanted to pursue that angle.
The strongest performers, by quite a big leap above the rest, were Ed Olandese (who could play Joey Slotnick's little brother) and Molly Hawkey (and no, it's not just because we went specifically to see her. She is REALLY good). Ed Olandese does physical comedy very well, has great timing, and is fun to watch. Molly Hawkey is really SNL/MadTV-ready. She just needs better material to showcase her strong instincts, great range of voices, and willingness to go for it, even at the expense of her own modesty. That's a recipe for sketch show success, generally. It was in the "Girls Night Out" sketch that I realized Molly is best when not relying on someone else to pick up what she's throwing down. Her own sense of timing is beautiful. She and Ed could really build up from what they've got here and conquer better material and work with performers more of their peer group.
The two strongest sketches were "Diet Dinner" and "Parking Enforcement." Had "Diet" been as brief as "Parking," I'd have liked it even better. But "Parking" was funny AND short, which really does sell it more for me. Best of all, I learned that Molly can SING WITH HER MOUTH CLOSED. Seriously. You HAVE to get her to do it for you. It's WILD.
Okay, Molly, I hope that served you well. I'm more than happy to do an in-depth review like this when I know someone really wants to know how to build forward on what they've got. You're at a point where you're ready to move up from this and do something really special. Showcase your work at 15 Minutes of FEM or collaborate with some much stronger performers who inspire YOU. It's great to be the BEST part of a bad show... for YOU. But it doesn't get people who are in the market to buy your talent OUT to see your great work. Move up, babe. Take Ed with you.
First, some backstory: I was a member of the Attic Theatre Company in 1999-2000. It was then in its original space on Theatre Row (Santa Monica Blvd.) and I spent a lot of time up those stairs, putting in work hours, doing tech, acting in the Christmas show, babysitting the theatre manager's 25-pound cat, reading scripts for the one act contest, participating in staged readings, converting much of their world to an electronic-based template on their archaic computer, etc. I LOVED being a part of the Attic. Still call a few of the members (who weathered the move to the new space and a year or more of a non-existant company) my dear friends (including Thia Stephan, TL Kolman, and Harlene Marshall). The Attic Theatre always did amazing work, groundbreaking staged readings and adaptations of classics and modern theatrical pieces, always well-received and well-reviewed in the trades. The company was 60 members, back when I was in the company, and from the wall of headshots at the new space, I'd say they're now a company of 30... and this particular show did not appear to be a "company" production. Not sure whether the 12 Short of a Dozen crew rented the space or worked there as a lab group, etc.
The new Attic Theatre space (at 5429 W. Washington Blvd.) is easy to drive past in this industrial area. After circling back around, we found ample street parking (no secure parking as advertised on the Attic's voicemail). It was odd walking into a space that isn't "an attic" as the old Attic space surely was, but there was a lot that was odd about this experience (from my history to the mindset I'd been asked to go into this show with). I did like the 32-seat space with GREAT legroom in the back row, lush burgandy walls and ceiling and the NICEST bathroom I've seen in a small theatre space like this (much better than the old Attic restrooms).
Okay, let's begin by saying that Molly Hawkey rocks. Sitting in the lobby, I looked through the cast profiles in the program and saw, among the cutsey bios (some--like Allison Kramer's bio--quite funny) the simple line beside Molly's photo: "Win with the chin!" Yep. She's that kooky, drawing attention to her Jay Leno-esque feature. Love it. Great tone-setter for the show we were about to see.
Two general notes about the show (13 sketch comedy pieces... 12 of which should've been shorter) are this: not every cast member needs to appear in each sketch (conserve your resources, leave us wanting more, etc.) and music that leads INTO the sketch should introduce the mood and theme, not the music that leads OUT of a sketch (a very Mike Sametz-like convention, from my six-month stint at The Next Stage). Not having every member of the cast in each sketch (or nearly every member) would cut down on the between-sketch downtime, which was too long. It would also allow for more complete costume/wig changes, which could've improved some of the overall feel of the show.
I realized, just a few moments into the show, that it was quite similar in tone to the many sketch shows I'd seen or worked on with The Next Stage (in 2000). I could visualize the writing, directing, brainstorming process, in which each performer was likely asked to create a sketch (rather than deferring to the BEST writers in the group to carry all of the writing duties) and each performer was represented in each sketch. I remember disliking that part of sketch comedy at The Next Stage, because I felt that strength was often in using the best writers to handle WRITING and having economy of resources in the casting and LENGTH of each sketch. So, while the whole show could've been more enjoyable for me with some tightening, more heavy-handed direction (not letting so much free-form stuff go on during the creation process), and slashing of jokes that weren't working, I generally enjoyed the experience, simply because it reminded me so much of my past lives with both the Attic and the Next Stage.
But that's not why I was asked to be there. So, now that ALL of that other stuff is out of the way, let's get to the performances.
Sara O'Hair is quite cute. Jason Boegh does the freak role very well but overuses a Yankee accent for some reason. John Parr, while good with impressions/impersonations, couldn't hold back his smile too often. And it wasn't fun like watching Harvey Korman and Tim Conway break up during old Carol Burnett Show sketches. We weren't laughing WITH John Parr. Mark Weiler does the nerd well. It's truly scary what a transformation he undergoes when trading hard-body stuff for the nerd role. Really great potential for a hotty "reveal" under a nerdy exterior, if he wanted to pursue that angle.
The strongest performers, by quite a big leap above the rest, were Ed Olandese (who could play Joey Slotnick's little brother) and Molly Hawkey (and no, it's not just because we went specifically to see her. She is REALLY good). Ed Olandese does physical comedy very well, has great timing, and is fun to watch. Molly Hawkey is really SNL/MadTV-ready. She just needs better material to showcase her strong instincts, great range of voices, and willingness to go for it, even at the expense of her own modesty. That's a recipe for sketch show success, generally. It was in the "Girls Night Out" sketch that I realized Molly is best when not relying on someone else to pick up what she's throwing down. Her own sense of timing is beautiful. She and Ed could really build up from what they've got here and conquer better material and work with performers more of their peer group.
The two strongest sketches were "Diet Dinner" and "Parking Enforcement." Had "Diet" been as brief as "Parking," I'd have liked it even better. But "Parking" was funny AND short, which really does sell it more for me. Best of all, I learned that Molly can SING WITH HER MOUTH CLOSED. Seriously. You HAVE to get her to do it for you. It's WILD.
Okay, Molly, I hope that served you well. I'm more than happy to do an in-depth review like this when I know someone really wants to know how to build forward on what they've got. You're at a point where you're ready to move up from this and do something really special. Showcase your work at 15 Minutes of FEM or collaborate with some much stronger performers who inspire YOU. It's great to be the BEST part of a bad show... for YOU. But it doesn't get people who are in the market to buy your talent OUT to see your great work. Move up, babe. Take Ed with you.
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