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| Joey Arena, Victoria Reibel, Jamie Shannon, Todd Zeigler, Spencer Korcz, Rachel Caudel and Morgan Younge in Firefly, The Lost Episode. Photo – Kathy Van Ryzin. |
Reviewed by Keith Waits
Entire contents are copyright © 2013, Keith Waits. All
rights reserved.
Late nights at The Alley Theatre have always been an
offbeat affair, with a far looser and less disciplined approach that most
closely resembles a night of improvisational comedy than anything else. Think
of it as perhaps the kind of show that might follow Saturday Night Live. Some nights it can strike gold, while other
nights…
The current double bill of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the 13th Season and Firefly, the Lost Episode are clearly parodies but also pay tribute
to Joss Whedon, the creator of the two television shows. Already something of a
geek/fan boy god, his status was further codified by the spectacular success of
his big screen version of The Avengers in
2012. These shows premiered last week at Fandom Fest, the Louisville sci-fi/fantasy
convention held in July, and seem tailored for that very specific audience.
Many of the jokes would be lost on anyone who is unfamiliar with the original
shows, one of which enjoyed a successful multi-season run (Buffy) and another that was cancelled so quickly that most of the
loyal fan base only caught up with the show when released on DVD.
But if you don’t know that much about the history, you
likely wouldn’t even be reading this in the first place. Opening night at The
Alley Theatre proper was a decidedly mixed bag: a mostly undisciplined ensemble
of game amateur players and more seasoned veterans. The energy seemed to flag
and the improv too often sputtered into pointless meanderings. Buffy suffered the most, as the action
seemed to drift without a clear end; while Firefly
appeared to offer a more structured outline that ended too abruptly. To put it
another way, the former ran too long while the latter ended too soon.
I was always more into Firefly myself, so maybe I was positioned to receive it more
favorably. But it also featured the more experienced cast, and they exhibited a
more solid and disciplined footing that allowed them to bat away the slow
moments and bad jokes with more aplomb and keep the ball more assuredly in the
air. Not that this is anything like their best work, but sure hands such as
Joey Arena, Todd Zeigler and Victoria Reibel made all the difference; and newer
faces such as Jamie Shannon and Spencer Korcz seemed to fare well for the
partnership.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 13 / Firefly, the Lost
Episode
Saturdays in August 2013
Tickets $10
All shows at 10 p.m.
The Alley Theater
1205 East Washington Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-589-3866
the website for the Alley is actually just http://TheAlleyTheater.org
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