ASSORTED STATES AND CLEAN LIVING
nytheatre.com review by Amy Heath Bell
August 15, 2002
In the program for Assorted States and Clean Living the
producing company, Blindspot, describes themselves as "an
out-of-the-ordinary sketch and improvisation company that
challenges the parameters of the ‘improv’ norm. Combining
elements of abstract physical work and political/social satire…"
Now that sounds like a show to see! Unfortunately, what you get
instead is an uneven evening with short, vaguely familiar
sketches, a dance number, an uneasy improv game, no political
satire, and overused and unoriginal stereotypes.Not to totally mislead you, there are a couple of really funny sketches; standouts include the All-Star Financial Stockbroker, a Party in the Hamptons, and the Sunshine Jet Stewardesses, although the inclusion of a Value Jet joke kind of brings into question the timeliness of the satire here (weren’t Value Jet jokes all the rage about five years ago?). There is a lot of potential in many of the sketches, but regrettably they either go on long after the funny moment has passed, or stop just short of reaching a final moment.
The actors (Will Koehl, Marci Lacenere, Leslie Meisel, Molly Prather, Lennon Parham, Carter Roy) are all energetic and clearly talented, but director Kevin Scott needs to lend them more of a hand. A judicious eye is needed to trim the fat and shape these pieces into a more coherent show and a more relevant social satire.
