U.S. DRAG
At Studio 16, Oct. 25 to 29
Tickets at the door
donthelp.com
This Evolving Arts Collective production begins well enough with floor-to-ceiling video projections of various victims relating the details of their assault by a mysterious serial attacker called "Ed." In each instance, the victim has offered help to Ed, who appears to be in distress but when the Good Samaritan moves in, Ed moves in, too, with a knife or his fists or boots.
But, in spite of the eight energetic performances and the work of talented actor, teacher and director Lori Triolo, U.S. Drag is pretty much a drag. Who is there to like in Gina Gionfriddo's satire? Certainly not Allison (Hilary Jardine) or Angela (Natalie Brooke Edwards), two self-absorbed college graduates. Allison speaks for both of them when she rants, "I want a lot. I want it while I'm still pretty enough to enjoy it." They're all about money and how to get it.
That takes them to a meeting of S.A.F.E. (Stay Away From Ed), a non-profit advocacy group run by Evan (Amos Stern) whose policy is "Don't help." There's a $100,000 bounty on Ed's head; Allison and Angela think S.A.F.E. might lead them to Ed.
Then there's Ned (Chris McNally) who doesn't give a crap about anyone; novelist Christopher (Dylan Harvey) who's so self-obsessed it's a wonder he has time to write; James (Sebastian Bertoli), so kind he makes Mother Teresa look like Ebenezer Scrooge; Mary (Christina Wismar), a previous victim of Ed who is getting off on her undeserved celebrity. Bebhinn Pidgeon plays everybody else, none of whom we give a rat's ass about.
U.S. Drag is splintered into a lot of short scenes and it's supposed to be funny. It would be interesting to see what Triolo and this cast could do with a half decent script.
