Review: WiRED

In twenty-four hours, a lot can happen. You could write that ten-page essay just in the nick of time for your English class, for example. Or you could eat four straight meals at Foco, including your midnight snack. Or you could... write, direct and act a play?

Sounds implausible, sure, but they've done it- the writers, directors, cast and crew of the WiRED twenty-four-hour play event have done it. The plays were written overnight from 8pm Friday to 8am Saturday; the actors entered into the equation from 8am to 8pm. And at 8pm was the performance. The one all-out performance, the culmination of all their hard work, and- you guessed it- the way I spent my Saturday evening.

There was not only one play, either, but three, and each with a certain restriction- one character of each had to speak all in titles. The first (assigned the use of song titles) was a lighter comedy with the serious theme of love found in spite of adversity, spun off from the "balloon incident" from not too long ago. Audience members laughed along as Falcon evacuated the dance floor and fell in love with "Jenny from the Block." The Block Tutoring, that is.

The second play (assigned the use of book titles) was much more solemn. Thomas, defended by his best friend Jonathan, immersed himself in the world of literature and fell in love with an equally literature-obsessed woman, Vanessa- who, we learned at the end of the play, was not a woman at all, but instead a figment of Thomas' vivid imagination. At this revelation the audience sighed and shook their heads in appreciation; I guess we hadn't been expecting tragedy.

And the third play? It was assigned the use of movie titles and was a wonderful mixture of love and sarcasm, complete with a touching ending and "Awwws" from those watching. The (not-so)classic story of a waitress rescued from her mundane and cynical life by a beekeeper wearing a bee costume was heartwarming, and the interjections from assorted drunk, air-headed and grumpy characters were hilarious.

Overall, I'd call this term's WiRED (yes, that's right! It happens every term) a great success- the actors were invested in their craft despite the occasional use of scripts, and the plays themselves were surprisingly deep and appropriately comic.

[[[And don't forget to catch the production of MACBETH, 8pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Bentley!]]]