High and Main Productions got off to a good start last weekend with two one-act plays–the first of which had everyone on the edge of their seats.
What could possibly go wrong when someone initiates a friendly conversation in a park? Just about everything, it seems. After Peter, portrayed by Josh Clendenin, has a quiet reading interlude in the park interrupted by the edgy Jerry (portrayed by Konstantine Malakos), it is clear that Peter is an unwitting victim to desperation personified. Peter is soon defending himself against Jerry’s relentless questions which are coupled with derisive judgements about Peter’s life. Clendenin did a great job portraying the panic of being caught in a trap, as he fends off someone on the edge of madness. Malakos was a convincing Jerry, with his rapid-fire invasive questioning and an unwillingness to let Peter go. Tension and the foreboding of a bad ending were present almost from the get-go.
Based solely on the taut emotional exchange of words between two strangers, Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story weighed heavily on these actors’ skill with timing and remembering every word of dialogue and the appropriate emotional nuances. Malakos and Clendenin were up to the challenge.
The second one-act play by Alice Gerstenberg called Overtones was more lighthearted, as it portrayed two women meeting for tea. But dark truths emerged while their alter egos flitted about the stage, presenting the usually hidden and contrasting layer of what often lies beneath niceties. Susan Brown portrayed the wealthy Harriet while pursued by her alter ego, Hetty, who was portrayed by Judy Filipchuk. Lorraine Crowston portrayed the impoverished Margaret while her alter ego Maggie, played by Joan Gottman, plagued her. There was more beneath the service of a simple meeting of two women for tea and cakes. This hidden story was told by the women’s darker sides: Hetty and Maggie. We learn of Margaret’s desperation to win a portrait contract for her artist husband, John. Then we find out that a part of Harriet deeply regrets not marrying John.
These two darker sides nearly stole the show, as Hetty exposed Harriet’s deepest regrets and a hungry Maggie stuffed proffered cakes into her mouth while prodding Margaret to secure the portrait contract from the wealthy Harriet. While there were lots of laughs, we could all relate to the polite front that we sometimes put forward, while there is a nagging voice inside us that has a different and darker opinion of what is happening around us.
High and Main Productions made good selections for their debut performances. Each of these plays was engaging and it was easy to quickly immerse oneself in each story.
The Zoo Story was directed by Lorraine Crowston while Overtones was directed by Konstantine Malakos.
The troupe is gearing up for its spring 2026 family production and is looking for directors and project pitches. You can connect with the group on Facebook by looking for High and Main Productions.
