October 10, 2002

Making laughter in public

Jim Butler
Eagle Staff Writer

Welcome to Dry Creek Relationship Retreat at Reality Check Ranch. You will meet five couples who will explore the many facets of familiarity with equal parts love and laughter.

Engela Edwards and John Daniels Jr. are the only actors in Making Love in Public, and they do a fine job of creating all the characters. Despite the provocative title, sex is only imagined, and affection is the ultimate reward.

The concept is similar to Greater Tuna, and Edwards and Daniels execute it well. The transitions are smooth, though the characters are more normal than the Tuna residents. In fact, I would hazard a guess that those in the audience will recognize themselves in one relationship or another.

The Rev. Osage Jones and his wife, Jolee Laura, are the gurus who try to solve the problems each couple brings with them. The couples go through mix-and-match therapy sessions that illuminate their feelings for their partners.

The humor comes from the characters and is balanced by some poignant moments, mainly provided by a lonely wife.

The only irritant is an overuse of song titles as a shorthand for feelings. A little of that goes a long way.

Edwards is the founder of Austin’s EASY Theatre, while Daniels is playwright-in-residence. The company opened Brazos Valley TROUPE’s new performance space last weekend and will play at Navasota Theatre Alliance Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The comedy will be in Sunny Furman Theater, 104 W. Washington St. in Navasota. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call 936-825-3195.

• Jim Butler covers movies and the performing arts for The Eagle. His e-mail address is [email protected].
 

© 2000 - 2003 The Bryan - College Station Eagle 
http://www.theeagle.com/spotlight/onstage/2002articles/101002makinglove.htm

October 3 , 2002

Bring the kids

By Jim Butler
Eagle Staff Writer 

Despite the provocative title, Making Love in Public is suitable entertainment for the entire family.

That’s the word from Judy Warren, president of Brazos Valley TROUPE, which is sponsoring Austin’s EASY Theatre production. The play will mark the opening of The Studio, TROUPE’s new home in the Town & Country Center on East 29th St.

“Don’t let the title fool you,” Warren said. “We saw Engela Edwards and john daniels, jr.” — whose name is officially capital-free — “perform the play at the Texas Nonprofit Theatres Youth Conference in Arlington in March, and it was wonderful family entertainment.”

Edwards is founder and artistic director of EASY Theatre, and daniels is playwright in residence.

Making Love in Public is about five couples attending a weekend retreat, and all the characters are played by Edwards and daniels. If that sounds a little bit like Greater Tuna, there’s good reason.

Daniels met Joe Sears, co-creator of Greater Tuna, when he auditioned for Sears’ Trail of Tears, a play Sears wrote for the Cherokee Indians in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

“When Joe talked about how wonderful it was to be able to work with his best friend, Jaston Williams, that planted the seed of an idea in john’s head,” Edwards said. “When john called me from Oklahoma, he said, ‘I started your new play today. This one’s special.’” 

The play he delivered, Making Love in Public, may be special, but it’s not easy.

“We started rehearsing the first scene, called ‘The Arrival,’ and it took two hours,” Edwards said. “There were 17 costume changes and 38 entrances and exits. I told john that the scene was impossible, that this was supposed to be EASY Theatre, and this wasn’t easy.”

Other problems cropped up with EASY Theatre plays during rehearsals for Making Love in Public. The December floods closed one theater and forced the rescheduling of a show. The lead singer dropped out of another show after being cast in a major production at the University of Texas, and two interns left the company.

“John kept sending me scenes of the new show, and I finally came up with a name for it, but I still didn’t know how long it was going to be,” Edwards said. “My first press release read, ‘Making Love in Public is a new full length comedy by john daniels, jr., about a couples’ weekend retreat. You’ll see either two or three acts.’ John laughed until he cried.”

The play opened Jan. 18 with only four tickets presold.

“We didn’t know how many people would be there, but we stood backstage and heard the crowd getting louder,” Edwards said. “We walked out on stage to see a great crowd. What was really special was at the end when we came out. We had the lights turned up so we could see the audience, and most of the couple were holding hands. People came back to see it again and again and brought their families.”

At the end of each performance in Bryan, Edwards and daniels will answer questions from the audience.

“We are honored that M.A. Sterling (artistic director of TROUPE) invited us to open his new space,” Edwards said. “It fits right in with the EASY Theatre mission statement: ‘Doing theatre we love, with people we love, for people we love.’”

• Making Love in Public will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Studio at 3705 E. 29th St. in Bryan. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students, senior citizens and TROUPE members. For reservations, call 979-846-4903. The play will also be performed at the Navasota Theatre Alliance Oct. 11-12 at 7:30 p.m. 

• Jim Butler’s e-mail address is [email protected].
 

© 2000 - 2003 The Bryan - College Station Eagle 
http://www.theeagle.com/spotlight/onstage/2002articles/100302bringthekids.htm

Make a date for 'Love in Public' 

While "Making Love in Public" is sure to be a great date play, its title is a little misleading. 

No shocking exhibitionism or voyeurism here. The play doesn't focus on the physical act of love, rather, the emotions and actions -- be they rational or not -- love arouses. The story: Five couples end up together at a weekend retreat for relationship counseling, enduring a series of games, tests and exercises led by a doctor and a new-age reverend. The two-act play, written by and co-starring Texan john daniels jr. (the e.e. cummings, no capitals deal), has been touring the state all year. 

A comedic hit since it premiered in Austin in January, find out for yourself what's so funny. Austin performances run through Saturday. 8 p.m. Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road. www.easytheatre.com or 261-8230.