Julie (Kerry Fitzgibbons) and Susan (Tiffany May McRae) are best friends in their twenties who have fallen out of touch. This slight, quirky, play takes place entirely at a table in Annie’s (bar) where Julie is mortified to be on a weekday. Meeting her friend with a never explained chip on her shoulder I attribute to an odd directorial choice, Julie immediately dives into texting an Internet relationship. Susan is very surprised. It’s been two years since Julie’s relationship with Michael, after which, devastated, she declared herself celibate and refused all attempts at dating introductions. Her first foray back in the market has been conducted through 92 email exchanges rich in rose-colored fantasy. She and the boy, Jared (Billy Weimar), have yet to speak or meet. Susan is the voice of caustic, wary reason.
Apparently Jared is in the neighborhood. Julie invites him to join them, convincing Susan to be her wingman. He is, of course, nothing like she imagined. A Circuit City clerk living with five roommates in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Jared is like a wired rabbit, all kinetic, kookie moves and either bunny innocent or a little dangerous. Under his arm in an old cigar box is his life’s work, a deck of Tarot cards he’s created with images painstakingly cut off G.I. Joe toy boxes and a book of his notations explaining the meaning of each face card and configuration. He’s quite serious about his gift. “The cards never lie.” Julie makes every effort to bolt, but Susan figures in for a penny and insists on having her fortune told. Jared ends up reading for both women with surprising results.
Kerry Fitzgibbons (Julie) spends an inordinate amount of time rolling her eyes and otherwise mugging. Only in a brief serious parentheses at the very end of the piece does she seem almost credible. Billy Weimar (Jared) is all over the place. Though some of this is character specific, the excessive ham applied is not. Tiffany May McRae (Susan) is grounded and thoughtful in her portrayal. She thinks before speaking and registers with subtlety. One wishes her better associates off whom to play.
If you close your eyes and listen, G.I. Joe Jared is mostly a smartly written piece. There is intermittent laughter from the audience. The concept is original, the ouch factor of the dating situation familiar. It takes a bit too long to get into the story and ends abruptly upon revelations of a secret, however. Ten minutes taken out of the early conversation moved to encircle the potentially moving, but unsatisfactorily situated climax would make it more believable. At fifty-five minutes, it’s a soupcon which might, otherwise produced, become an amuse bouche.
In my opinion Witting should’ve let someone else direct. She’s a much better writer.
Amy E. Witting- photographer
aWe Creative Group presents
G.I. Joe Jared, Based On One Really Bad Date by Amy E. Witting
Directed by Amy E. Witting
With Kerry Fitzgibbons, Tiffany May McRae, Billy Weimar
East To Edinburgh Festival
59E59 St Theaters
59 E 59th Street
One more performance July 16, 2011
