“Getting Sara Married”:
Delightful, Uncomplicated Comedy
Words by Kristen Fogle
Oh the joy that every young woman faces. If you are unmarried and under the age of 35, you will no doubt run into the incessant nagging of someone in your life, who knows better than you, that you would be far, far happier with a mate.
So is Sara's problem. And the culprit is a nosy aunt who wants to set up the fairly together, driven Sara (before it's too late!). Sara, however, has merely responded to her Aunt Martha with a dismissive tone—until her aunt literally delivers a man to her house! The man is Martha's financial planner, and even though he is engaged, Martha is sure that Sara and he will fall for each other. After the man, Brandon Cates, awakes, Sara tries to piece together a story for him that doesn't involve her dear aunt locked away in a cell for kidnapping. In the midst of trying to figure things out, (and after being brought back yet again!), Brandon lets on about his fears of marrying fiancé Jessica, and Sara and him share some tender moments. When Jessica makes her way into the mix, it makes things all the more uncomfortable for everyone involved. Who will Brandon pick? Will Sara even want him? Sara’s hard hitting unapproachable stance weakens a bit in the end, and Brandon finds that his kidnapping isn't in vain after all.
The only thing to gripe about here is the asinine plot. Whose aunt is really going to hire a guy named Noogie to render a nice guy unconscious? And shame on playwright Sam Bobrick to make Brandon allergic to two separate foods (that both end up in sandwiches, that both end up in his mouth) in order to keep Brandon in Sara’s apartment two separate nights. When Brandon ends up clubbing Noogie and dragging him to Sara’s apartment to get back at him, it's just too ridiculous to bear.
But, I happen to be a fan of antiquated comedy that manages to be a) so trite it's insulting and b) ever-so-endearing all at the same time.
Powpac does the piece well too, with an adorable set (that makes use of two fun scrims where we see Martha and Jessica when they are the phone with either Sara or Brandon) as well as modern, comfortable looking decor with a lived in (but not messy) look about it, compliments of set designer (and producer) Joel Colburn. I am also impressed by a funny and creative lighting sequence which consists of a slow flashing strobe that occurs while Brandon and Sara tell Jessica about how Brandon came to be at Sara's apartment—props to Lighting Designer Yogi Allen. I also enjoy the costumes, for the most part, by Jani Allen, particularly Jessica's array of adorable dresses, (though I don’t understand Sara's business casual wear with slippers that she dons for the entire show).
Speaking of title character Sara Hastings, Rhiannon M. Jones plays her confidently, exercising witticisms effectively at all the right times, getting silly faces down to a tee, and executing her lines so as to have the highest impact chuckle. Daniel Sky, who plays Brandon Cates, is also good at giving us a laugh; though he plays Brandon a bit dry and a little dense in places, Sky makes Brandon believable as the character comes to remember more and more about who he is. Aunt Martha (Lee Donnelly) is a hoot too—always with the exercise while on the phone with Sara, we are treated to an array of fun workout wear and the hilarious logic of a woman who believes hunting for a mate should be taken literally. And I'm not sure if the very tall Alayne Lewis meant Heather Boyd to come across as more than a little annoying, but she succeeds, and Tony Bejarano plays Noogie Malloy as the New York ruffian you might expect to deliver knocked out suitors for a living.
Powpac's quaint theater is a treat in an unassuming strip mall, and their next show should (hopefully) bring out another huge crowd. “Leaving Iowa” is up next: a play about a journalist returning home to bury his father and reliving memories along the way.
“Getting Sara Married”
POWPAC
4/20-5/20
13250 Poway Road
Poway, CA 92064
858-679-8085
www.powpac.org
Oh the joy that every young woman faces. If you are unmarried and under the age of 35, you will no doubt run into the incessant nagging of someone in your life, who knows better than you, that you would be far, far happier with a mate.
So is Sara's problem. And the culprit is a nosy aunt who wants to set up the fairly together, driven Sara (before it's too late!). Sara, however, has merely responded to her Aunt Martha with a dismissive tone—until her aunt literally delivers a man to her house! The man is Martha's financial planner, and even though he is engaged, Martha is sure that Sara and he will fall for each other. After the man, Brandon Cates, awakes, Sara tries to piece together a story for him that doesn't involve her dear aunt locked away in a cell for kidnapping. In the midst of trying to figure things out, (and after being brought back yet again!), Brandon lets on about his fears of marrying fiancé Jessica, and Sara and him share some tender moments. When Jessica makes her way into the mix, it makes things all the more uncomfortable for everyone involved. Who will Brandon pick? Will Sara even want him? Sara’s hard hitting unapproachable stance weakens a bit in the end, and Brandon finds that his kidnapping isn't in vain after all.
The only thing to gripe about here is the asinine plot. Whose aunt is really going to hire a guy named Noogie to render a nice guy unconscious? And shame on playwright Sam Bobrick to make Brandon allergic to two separate foods (that both end up in sandwiches, that both end up in his mouth) in order to keep Brandon in Sara’s apartment two separate nights. When Brandon ends up clubbing Noogie and dragging him to Sara’s apartment to get back at him, it's just too ridiculous to bear.
But, I happen to be a fan of antiquated comedy that manages to be a) so trite it's insulting and b) ever-so-endearing all at the same time.
Powpac does the piece well too, with an adorable set (that makes use of two fun scrims where we see Martha and Jessica when they are the phone with either Sara or Brandon) as well as modern, comfortable looking decor with a lived in (but not messy) look about it, compliments of set designer (and producer) Joel Colburn. I am also impressed by a funny and creative lighting sequence which consists of a slow flashing strobe that occurs while Brandon and Sara tell Jessica about how Brandon came to be at Sara's apartment—props to Lighting Designer Yogi Allen. I also enjoy the costumes, for the most part, by Jani Allen, particularly Jessica's array of adorable dresses, (though I don’t understand Sara's business casual wear with slippers that she dons for the entire show).
Speaking of title character Sara Hastings, Rhiannon M. Jones plays her confidently, exercising witticisms effectively at all the right times, getting silly faces down to a tee, and executing her lines so as to have the highest impact chuckle. Daniel Sky, who plays Brandon Cates, is also good at giving us a laugh; though he plays Brandon a bit dry and a little dense in places, Sky makes Brandon believable as the character comes to remember more and more about who he is. Aunt Martha (Lee Donnelly) is a hoot too—always with the exercise while on the phone with Sara, we are treated to an array of fun workout wear and the hilarious logic of a woman who believes hunting for a mate should be taken literally. And I'm not sure if the very tall Alayne Lewis meant Heather Boyd to come across as more than a little annoying, but she succeeds, and Tony Bejarano plays Noogie Malloy as the New York ruffian you might expect to deliver knocked out suitors for a living.
Powpac's quaint theater is a treat in an unassuming strip mall, and their next show should (hopefully) bring out another huge crowd. “Leaving Iowa” is up next: a play about a journalist returning home to bury his father and reliving memories along the way.
“Getting Sara Married”
POWPAC
4/20-5/20
13250 Poway Road
Poway, CA 92064
858-679-8085
www.powpac.org
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