Guilty of Being Terrible

Guilty, a new drama by playwright Nancy Manocherian playing it's final performance at The Acorn Theater in the Theater Row complex on 42nd between 9th and 10th July 28th, is a mess. Not not a mess in the traditional sense, but a mess in terms of writing, acting, plot, pacing, and general storytelling, okay so maybe it is a mess in the traditional sense. My bad

This play has a hard time deciding what the main plot is. Sitting in the audience watching it seemed to me like it was trying to tell too many stories in the short intermissionless time of the production. I was so confused by the time the story reached it's climax that I didn't know whether to fake it or not(wink).

From what I can gather from the loose bits of string that I pulled together to right myself, the story is about a not seen character, who's white collar crimes have provoked his group of friends, to think about their own lives in retrospect, and examine the things that they have done in their past.

The only solid thing about this show was some of the performances. Gloria Gallo delivers what is possibly the best performance of the show. Her portrayal of a woman who is unhappy in her current life, and thinks about having an affair with a former boyfriend, brings a human aspect to the character of Dori. There is a scene where she has an orgasm on stage. An uncomfortable moment I am sure for any actor, but one in which Gallo tackles with composure. It was by far the highlight of the play. And a scene from what I have learned was mostly improvised.

Another one of the highlights was Tracee Chimo, as the rebellious daughter of another stand out Mary Ann Conk as Marcie. Both characters were not flushed out enough to be main characters, but their performances make you wish they would come onstage more often to cancel out the drudgery of the other performers. To my shock one of the weakest cast members Darnell Williams actually won a daytime Emmy.

I always feel like I should say something positive when I write a review. So I will. The set was amazing, the chairs they had were simple and brilliant. The understated minimalist sets were supposed to convey the somberness of the play itself. This tool was quite effective. Overall probably the most enjoyable aspect of the production was the set design.

All and all this play was not really worth much. And needed too much work to receive an actual commercial production. Maybe after some serious retooling, this play could have a life outside of an experimental production.