 |
|
Kay Ostrenko fondles her cell phone more
than her fiancé in For Better.... |
Why
go to the trouble and cost of posting a letter when e-mail is
free and instantly gratifying? Why pay attention to the person
you’re with when the cell phone beckons? Heck, why bother
talking when you can text? We’ve fooled ourselves into thinking
that we’re communicating more with all of this technology, but
we’re not.
That’s the theme
of For Better… a play by Eric Coble premiering at New
Theatre in Coral Gables. For Better… pokes fun at our
obsessive need for modern technology and asks the question: Do a
man and woman have to be in the same city or country to date and
wed?
Karen (Kay
Ostrenko), who travels the country checking on her company’s
restaurants, meets Max at a conference and, although they see
each other only a couple of times in the following year, they
e-mail, chat and text constantly until Max proposes. In the
first scene, Karen tells her father Wally (Kevin Reilley) of her
plans. Her cell phone is poised between them, ready to ring so
Max can ask Wally for Karen’s hand in marriage.
Karen’s friends
and family are not thrilled with her betrothal. Her sister
Francine (Kim Ostrenko) is worried and asks her husband Michael
(Christopher Vicchiollo) to investigate Max. So Michael enlists
Francine and Karen’s friend Lizzie (Evelyn Perez) in the online
investigation, even though she’s his ex-girlfriend and
they have some unresolved issues. Karen’s college friend Stuart
(John Manzelli) is upset by the news because he’s too shy to
tell her he loves her.
Audiences will
recognize the characters, who play out most of the important
moments in their lives — fighting, declaring love and even
having sex — with the help of technology. Only Wally insists on
face-to-face contact and, when he does resort to e-mail, he does
it in a balanced way.
Director Ricky J.
Martinez uses all of his resources to milk the absurdity in
Coble’s script. Jesse Dreikosen’s colorful set is deceptively
simple and becomes a supporting character in the piece. Clint
Hooper’s sound illustrates the characters’ busy lives. The cast
is delightfully over-the-top and has great timing — the script
demands it, the comedy depends on it and the actors are up to
it. Perez is especially funny and a real scene-stealer, while
Ostrenko is wonderfully expressive as Karen.
Do yourself a
favor: Step away from the computer and go see For Better…
and don’t forget to turn off your cell phone before the show
starts.
For Better…
runs through Dec. 9 at New Theatre,
4120 Laguna St.,
Coral Gables. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and
1 p.m. Sunday. For tickets and information, call 305-443-5909 or
visit www.new-theatre.org. |
