Jon Lavranos plays Bates in Pinter’s “Silence,” a piece in Program B of TDPS’ “Silences and Salutations: Seven One Act Plays.“

“Salutations,” by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Charlotte McIvor

The third iteration of “Salutations” that I saw may or may not have made reference to the fact that it was being performed just as the football game was ending. Regardless of whether or not it was a timely reference, the “hecklers” in this version were caricatures of frat boys, which might have been funny, but it felt like too much of a cheap shot for an ensemble that was hoping to make a deeper point.

“Springtime,” by Maria Irene Fornes, directed by Peter Glazer

Fornes’ “Springtime” has perhaps the most conventional structure of all the plays in the festival. Make no mistake–its plot is still far from completely straightforward, but the story is told through ostensibly chronological vignettes and the dialogue feels more traditional than illogical.

“Springtime” involves yet another ill-fated love triangle of sorts. Greta (Chelsea Unzner) and Rainbow (Zoe Garcia) are a lesbian couple living together in the late 1950s. When Greta becomes ill, Rainbow resorts to measures of a little more than questionable legality to pay for her treatment. Rainbow meets Ray (Jon Lavranos), whose skeevy tentacles penetrate the women’s lives and taint their relationship.

While the play did directly address some potentially controversial themes, its treatment of love through bland platitudes at times felt almost trite. Though the performances weren’t bad, they weren’t nuanced enough to overcome the script’s pitfalls and the relationship between Greta and Rainbow felt a bit stilted.

“Three Sisters Who are Not Sisters,” by Gertrude Stein, directed by Marc Boucai

If “What Happened” is the Gertrude Stein-iest play ever penned, then “Three Sisters Who are Not Sisters,” would be the Gertrude Stein on Drugs-iest play ever written. At least, that’s how it felt watching it. The script almost made sense at points, and the tantalizing snippets of possible plot kept the audience actively grasping at meaning the entire time.

Also, TDPS’ staging managed to be really, really funny–and not just in a way that was totally unrelated to the content of the script. It was thought-provokingly funny. The play uses a play within the play about a murder to toy with patterns, repetition and modes of creating suspense. Saturday’s production incorporated various cinematic tropes, repeating the same not-quite-logical dialogue within the context of various “murder movie” genres. It’s difficult to clearly explain–unsurprisingly, given that it’s Gertrude Stein we’re talking about–but suffice to say things may or may not end in a “Kill Bill”-style bloodbath. (Wouldn’t want to spoil things … )

Program C will be performed Thurs. Nov. 12 (7pm), Sat. Nov. 14 (10pm), Sun. Nov. 15 (3pm), Fri. Nov. 20 (7pm) and Sat. Nov. 21 (10pm). (Source: TDPS site)

Image Source: Shirin Ghaffary, Daily Californian