Austinist Review: A Thought in Three Parts

And to get preoccupied about the nudity and sex is to ignore the more meaningful parts of this work. The show, which is three mini-plays, opens with an extended scene between a married couple on vacation in an unnamed foreign land. David (Mark Stewart) is mad for Sarah, his apparently frigid wife. And who wouldn't be? Is there an actress on the Austin boards right now more gorgeous than Adriene Mishler? With her ivory skin, dark curly locks, and cupid bow mouth, she's like a life-sized doll, and indeed the show kicks off with her playing fashion parade for her sexually frustrated husband. With perfect timing and at just the right pace, Mishler delivers a monologue detailing Sarah's fantasies of spending days between the sheets with books and newspapers, food and drink spillages, and finally other, naughtier things. It's funny and titillating, but ultimately a bit sad. Shawn's typical use of language -- wordy and poetic -- comes on beautiful and strong as the scene winds to an end.

The line delivery throughout this production is spot on. David takes several exasperated runs at seducing Sarah, and while Stewart's delivery is very funny, his actions and words are also the engine that drives the tension of the piece. He keeps things light while also showing us the incredible patience required of a man who is married to a woman who, it appears, is broken in more ways than one. This was our favorite piece of the evening. Starting out with broad stereotypes -- the always-waiting, never-satisfied husband and the always-stalling, never-ready, wife -- it slowly and steadily works its way into two characters who are far more than first appearances indicate. Thought-provoking without being preachy, it was very nicely played.

It's obviously the second piece that got the London authorities upset. Set in a youth hostel, the work features four young people who eventually sleep with one another, in various configurations. Again, Shawn paints archetypes with a broad brush. Dick (Josh Meyer) is the brooding, pissy, poet-type. Judy (Kelli Bland) is the sweet waif. Helen (Rosaruby Glaberman) is the crazy psycho nutcase. Bob (Matt Hislope) is the freak of all freaks. There's not much to the plot. These young people basically pop in and out of two rooms in a youth hostel and have sex with one another. However, the dialogue is hysterical, and the sex acts themselves are so creatively staged that they create a physical comedy like no other. In particular, a scene in which Dick and Judy get it on had the audience rolling at the sight of Josh Meyers' unbelievably long, unbelievably kinetic, frenziedly kicking legs. It was kind of like watching a very large, skinny frog mount an unsuspecting smaller, more attractive member of the species.

The main reason the piece works is that all of the actors commit to their roles with complete abandon. There's never a moment's hesitation. We especially liked Rosaruby's depiction of the unhinged Helen. With her hair yanked into a long pom-pom that she swings around like a tassle atop of her head, she drives Dick to distraction in more ways that one. We've known women like her, which made the scenes all the funnier. We also enjoyed Kelli Bland's Judy, who was the only likeable character -- a sweet, simple girl. We were extremely disappointed when, at the very end of this long, middle piece, Shawn chose to introduce Judy's husband, Tom (Steven Laing), to brutalize poor Judy. It's no fault of Laing's -- he depicts this afterthought of a character just fine -- but to pull in an outsider who crushes the one person we've grown to like didn't make sense. It was like Shawn wanted to inject some kind of deeper meaning into the piece. Why not leave it as it is before Tom's entrance -- a hysterical, extended sex scene between shallow, silly young people?

The final piece of the evening was a short, sweet monologue delivered by Mr. Frivolous (David Yeakle). Again, we get typical Shawn here -- florid language describing things both tangible and intangible all at once. It's a beautifully written piece, and Yeakle is always a pleasure to watch. He's clearly having fun with this little role. It was a perfect way to end the evening.

When all was said and done, we left the theatre feeling not terribly shocked, and very entertained. The script isn't Shawn's best by a long shot, but it's admirable and commendable that the Rubber Rep boys took it on. It occurred to us as we mulled over our evening watching A Thought in Three Parts that Rubber Repertory has raised the bar for so-called fringe theater in this town. Again and again they take the somewhat odd yet potentially ordinary and turn it into something spectacular. From laundry hampers to brilliant, reclusive musicians, Rubber Repertory keeps spinning gold for Austin theatre audiences. A Thought in Three Parts is no exception. Get in to one of the last three shows if you can.

A Thought in Three Parts, presented by Rubber Repertory
Tonight 8pm and 11pm / Saturday 8pm
The Vortex [map]
Remaining shows sold out, but try the waitlist.