Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – LABUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL 2019 provocatively exposes the true American mindset, even if the playwriting ultimately proves inconsequential

• By drediman
• January 30, 2019
• No Comments

Brenda Meaney and KeiLyn Durrel Jones in “Great Negro Works of Art”, one of the short plays in the St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s mounting of the 2019 edition of the LaBute New Theater Festival at the Davenport Theatre. Photo by Russ Rowland.

Before closing last weekend, I had the opportunity to catch the 2019 edition of the LaBute New Theater Festival at Off-Broadway’s Davenport Theatre. This year’s lineup of one-act plays included “The Fourth Reich”, “Great Negro Works of Art”, and “Unlikely Japan”. With these short character studies (each runs no longer than 30 minutes), Mr. LaBute subtly examines some of the troublesome issues currently facing our country.

Each play was digestible if ultimately inconsequential, rarely moving beyond the realm of the theatrical sketch. However, I appreciated how the playwright, known for being a relentless provocateur, unflinchingly dared to depict the “Middle American” (the term is used proverbially) mindset. What we find isn’t very pretty, exposing a healthy dose of disturbing ignorance, sense of entitlement, and unapologetic bigotry.

LaBute New Theater Festival 2019 was put on by the St. Louis Actors’ Studio, a theater company I hadn’t been familiar with. I’m happy to report that its quartet of unknown (at least to me) actors did a pretty good job of bringing their respective unappetizing characters to life. Director John Pierson staged a distilled, unfussy production. Indeed, although his staging was thoughtfully stripped-down, it never felt cheap.

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LABUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL 2019
Off-Broadway, Play
The St. Louis Actors’ Studio at the Davenport Theatre
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed