Wild’s ‘Sweet Tooth’ has promise, but the script needs major work
Published: February 07, 2010, 12:30 am
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Neal Radice’s Alleyway Theatre, forum for new plays — world premieres, Western New York bows — has opened yet another fledgling work, “Sweet Tooth,” a sometimes insightful, often absurd, periodically sophomoric comedy by Mark Wild. The play has been produced by the ambitious Theatre Plus, an adjunct acting company under Radice’s aegis, a troupe dedicated to “respond to the needs and interests of women.”
Well, “Sweet Tooth” may not always meet those parameters, but close enough. It’s a story that takes crazy twists and turns — and nearly rolls over and dies in doing so — but the crux of the matter is briefly this: Wannabe historian Rosie Straw has been researching an 18th century freed slave for six years without much progress. There just isn’t much data on Bessie Strong — Black Bess — other than an admirable work ethic, a confident air and a feisty attitude, all traits Rosie gleans from dusty Connecticut records circa 1750.
But Rosie perseveres. She’s no Doris Kearns Goodwin, but Bess becomes an obsession. Rosie begins to channel Bess, actually sees her, has conversations. Still, her findings, gradually becoming a tome, go nowhere. Her graduate school professor gives an ultimatum: Find a real reason to write the story of this woman — major lectures on “causation”—or the project is, literally, history.
Rosie, indecisive, ponders.
This is where “Sweet Tooth” begins to wander. A new boyfriend, a nitrous oxide sniffing dentist with a practice that is unorthodox, to put it mildly, and an alcoholic roommate demand time away from Bess and scenes begin to multiply, some short with little significance, others too long and entirely meaningless. The dentist, Ben, reading aloud technical jargon from his textbooks, roomie Gladys swilling Irish whiskey— plus a few other plot side trips — make one wonder if playwright Wild didn’t inhale something, too.
Through it all, there’s a sort of “follow your dreams” theme. Rosie, Ben, Gladys and Bess, from what we learn of her, are likable people and guest director Lorna Hill gets Andrea Andolina, Christopher Parada and Dayatra Hassan — three bright new talents — to bring these characters — and many others, played by Parada and Hassan— to believable life.
Rosie, nicely played by Andolina, who shows a ditzy side, is a character Hill loves to direct: determined, with survival instincts at the ready, dreams never doused.
Parada deals with a diverse group of personalities impressively. Hassan, indomitable as Bess, creates a need to know more. Playwright Wild missed the chance here.
“Sweet Tooth,” a work in progress, needs more of Bess, less laughing gas. As with most first-time-anywhere plays, potential and promise lurk.
Theater Review
“Sweet Tooth”
★★
World premiere by Mark Wild presented by Theatre Plus through Feb. 20 in the Alleyway Theatre, 1 Curtain Up Alley. Call 852-2600.
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