April's Fool
Two stars
Connelly Theater (see Fringe). Written by Kelly McAllister. Dir. Bronwen Carson. With ensemble cast. 2hr. One intermission.
Like a lovesick liberal arts major's fever dream, this self-described "metaphysical comedy" aims for whimsy but ends up at whiny, referencing everyone from Shakespeare to the Talking Heads and Lewis Carroll along the pretentious way. Aspiring actress April (Sarah Wharton) pines for poet-performer Ahab (Ian Campbell Dunn), who's in love with one-night-stand Moira (Liz Conway), who's living with moneyed douchebag Jaypes (Casey Shane). Their familiar romantic complications reach surreal heights thanks to the arrival of Norn (the Norse goddesses of fate, who appears in many funny forms thanks to the versatile Heather McAllister), who messes with their heads and is happy to lend out her axe when needed. Playwright Kelly McAllister has been a Fringe favorite in the past, and there are those who might be charmed by April's Fool's follies. But the cavernous Connelly kills the vibe, Bronwen Carson's direction is clunky, and the comic timing of most of the cast is about as reliable as the MTA. The joke is on the audience.—Raven Snook
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