Some of the best theater at UAF is the student directed and produced Winter Shorts.  These one-act plays are usually vibrant and fresh with an unassuming simplicity and charm that is often lacking in the mainstage productions. 

This semester's offerings, overall, do not disappoint.

The evening begins with a delightful Russian farce, Anton Chekhov's "The Bear," directed by Charlie Pierce.  With a similarly flamboyant wit as the great English romantic satirist Oscar Wilde, Chekhov deliciously lampoons the conventions and traditions of the romantic comedy. 

The story opens with Popov (Anna Smith), a delicate mourning dove, a lovely woman, young, blooming like a rose, yet clothed in black and veiled in honor of her husband, dearly departed, lo, these seven months.  Her tears are absurd, purely on principle, as her husband openly abused her and found frivolity in the arms of other women; and yet she will love no one else so long as his memory remains.

Enter Smirnov (Jon Ward), the unstoppable force in contrast to the unmovable Popov.  He's a coarse bear: a bully, a monster, a rude, ill-bred man, and good God, just look at that swagger!  Of course, she loves him.

What follows is a raucous battle of wits full of delectable innuendo that would have made even Shakespeare's Petruchio and Katherina blush.

The two lovers work well together, although most of the weight is carried by the vivacious Ward.  This young actor's energy seems boundless, he is strong and decisively commands the attention of his audience.  I could watch his facial expressions all day; his performance was an unadulterated mixture of vociferous ranting and subtle wit.

Smith, as well, had moments that were pure delight as she sparred and spurned the unruly Ward, but often she seemed constricted and self-conscious.  Some awkwardness involving her costume—especially her veil—only added to this sense of unease with her character.

But Pierce and his cast are to be commended.  Their wild show rose to a rousing (or perhaps "arousing"?) climax, leaving their grateful audience breathlessly howling with laughter.

The second show, "Captive Audience," written by David Ives and directed by accomplished UAF actor Jeff Aldrich, was not quite as polished.

David Ives' work is not to be approached lightly; his scripts are tight, terse, with a breakneck pace and fluid realism unequaled by any other playwright I know.  Timing is crucial in Ives' madcap world.

Which is not to say that UAF's theater students aren't up to the challenge; this particular script, however, perhaps got the better of them.

It's an ambitious play.  "Captive Audience" studies our relationship to television and the medium's ominous and startling power over us.  By invoking the spirit and lessons of Welles' "War of the Worlds," Aldrich brought a lot to the table, adding substantial meaning to Ives' already hefty themes. 

His actors were irreverent and wonderfully funny.  Joe Harris, especially, was perfect as the annoying TV announcer that, for some reason, you just can't look away from.

The set design was inventive, with most of the action framed within a large-screen television complete with projected images and video clips behind the actors.  There were, however, some moments of awkward staging where the characters on our side of the screen stood with their backs to us or wandered about the empty stage, unsure in their blocking.

But the production was most marred by technical difficulties: sound and video problems abounded.  For a show that was so dependant on technical aspects, it could have used a little more preparation.  Hopefully the opening night jitters will work themselves out.

With tighter pacing and a little more polish, "Captive Audience" has the potential of being an outrageously humorous criticism of our media-driven society.  And liberal arts majors, especially, will enjoy the less than subtle jabs at FOX news.

The Winter Shorts play one more weekend in the Lee H. Salisbury Theater.  Performances start at 8:15 on February 27 and 28.  Tickets are $3 for students,  $5 for military and seniors, and $6 for everyone else.

Photo by: Brian Guzzetti

Anna Smith and John Ward in the Student Drama Association's Winter Shorts production, "The Bear".

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