Theatre Review: Not What’s on the Tin

Note: This review was posted on the KC Stage review system.

Bathroom Confessions, written, directed, and produced by Crystal Gould (part of the KC Fringe Festival). First produced 2010. (Seen July 26, 2010.)

Bathroom Confessions is anything but. While it takes place in a bathroom, the story that ends up playing on stage doesn’t have much about it that sounds confessional.

Written and directed by Crystal Gould (she’s also the main character), the description states that the play is about “the various run-ins and conversations that occur in a women’s restroom at a rock concert.” With that description and the title, I was expecting more of a Vagina Monologues-esque series of scenes that all involved some of the odder conversations that take place in a women’s restroom. What I got instead was an extremely short one-act where a bunch of people (men including) come to hang out at a restroom … and talk.

My main beef with this story is that nothing really seems to get accomplished — there was no real story arc. While there were mini-story arcs — several of the characters do end up hooking up (and the predictable lesbian hookup), the overall story wasn’t compelling enough to me to feel like it warranted a play. It just didn’t feel like there was a point to this story.

The humor was forced throughout, although there were a couple of good lines. “I love glitter — it’s the only makeup I wear,” says Ally, played very well by Emily Peterson. In fact, Peterson’s the best actress on the stage — and plays the ‘flying high groupie’ to the maximum.

And while I’m a big fan of Vi Tran (who plays Dave), he started out slow and it felt like he probably could use a refresher on his early lines (although he does get better — and, of course, gets to sing, which is probably the best thing about this production). Meanwhile, Sean Hogge, who plays Rob, seems to just stand there throughout the play and doesn’t really have much presence.

Several of the lines got lost to me due to issues with the actors projecting — they either needed to be miked or learn to project better.

Bathroom Confessions has potential — there are a lot of good little moments. But the overall story could have used some work, and the actors could have used another couple of rehearsals. It just doesn’t feel like it’s worth the time.

The KC Fringe Festival runs until August 1, 2010. For more information, visit the KC Fringe Festival website.

Read all of my Fringe reviews here.