Resolutions to Keep

One-act plays, music and stand-up comedy at the P.S. Collective

By David Williams

The postage stamp-sized stage of the postcard-sized P.S. Collective will host a moveable feast of one-act plays, music and stand-up comedy this weekend as Andrew McGreevy assembles a fine troupe of performers for his production of an original, collaborative work, “Resolutions: A Culture Buffet.”

P.S. Collective owner Amy Ryan is glad to host this throwback to cabaret days as she beams with enthusiasm about her vision regarding the role of artists in the revitalization of the increasingly trendy Benson neighborhood once known more for thrift stores and dive bars than as a weekend destination. The smallish size of the space works to everyone’s advantage, she explains, as “this is an intimate venue where audiences can have a very personal experience with the artists.”

A half-dozen short plays written by Nora Vetter and Geoffrey Stienblock are performed by a young and attractive cast as themes of life, love and longing take to the stage in this very clever and funny show.

In “Car Wash,” Darrick Silkman shines as, of all things, a gas pump. Imagine those “talking” gas pumps that play commercials while you fill your tank, take it to a new level of “sentient being-ness,” and we are left with one hilariously manic, moralizing man-machine that taunts customers in one moment only to caress them in the next.

Silkman returns in “Penis Dialogues,” where he and McGreevy play “Average Joe” men on a fishing trip where moonlit “guy-talk” raises the specter of latent homosexuality, which burns like the glowing embers of their campfire.

Oh, did I mention that this adult-themed show is definitely not one for the kiddies?

But it is the tender, bittersweet “Timing” that really made me sit up in my chair as Rachel Lien and Todd Zimbleman flex their dramatic acting muscles in a touching tale of lost love and the difficulties involved in “just staying friends.”

“It’s All in Your Head” finds us in a coffee shop to witness a flirtation between Jenny Lassley (she of the coquettish smile) and the rubber-faced Chris Harris (he of the Napoleon Complex…as in Dynamite, not Bonaparte). Writer Nora Vetter has crafted a very smart piece where we, the audience, are allowed into the heads of the two would-be lovers. The actors speak no lines, but we can hear their “thought bubbles” as delivered by offstage voices when a rather awkward, yet familiar mating ritual is played out in pantomime to great comedic effect.

Each performance kicks off with the music of Ricky Hernandez (guitar) and Kaitlyn Filippini (violin). Comedians Matt Gieler (Friday only) and Alisha Pagali (Saturday only) warm us up for the one-act plays and each evening concludes with still more music from Adam Weaver and the Ghosts.

Witty writing populated with intelligent references to pop culture, versatile acting and guffaws galore left this writer anxious to see more from this talented band of emerging performers.

An old adage says something like “May your woes expire before your New Year’s resolutions do.” The laughs in “Resolutions: A Culture Buffet” are sure to give new legs to that optimistic dream.