We once again made our way to a production of the Off Tryon Theatre Company (OTTC) last night. On our last visit, a few months ago, we saw the fine production of Quills. Once again, we were not disappointed.
The show this time was Boy Gets Girl, the story of an all-too-real situation that arises from a simple blind date. As with our last visit, the folks at the OTTC made excellent work of their limited space, dividing the set into two primary sections, adding a third scene on the “sidewalk” outside and a fourth in a small corner of the theatre.
While the second act moved a little slowly, the production was quite well done overall, leaving you with a certain unease about the next person you might meet in such a casual situation. The cast performed well, though there was only one standout: Chuck Stowe, in a nearly uncredited role of a B-movie director. He was enjoyable in every scene, even though his character represented the seedy underbelly of society.
Ryan Stinnett and Iesha Hoffman played the marquee roles of Tony and Theresa, respectfully, and did a fine job. Mr. Stinnett, especially, was convincing in his role of stalker – even though he didn’t appear physically past the halfway point of the first act! Starting from an awkwardness on the first date, he progressed nicely through the stages of his anger. Similarly, Ms. Hoffman reflected her mood well as her life fell apart around her.
Brian Daye turned in a solid performance as the attentive boss, though it was apparent that he wasn’t internalizing the role quite enough to make it seem natural. Patrick C. Duke was believable, if a bit stiff, as concerned co-worker Mercer. Mr. Duke also performed in the Rocky Horror Show with the innerVoices group a few months back. Kristen Jones and Amanda Liles rounded out the cast, and performed well in their smaller roles.
I think it is safe to say that we’ll be visiting the OTTC set again in the future.