FronteraFest Long Fringe 2011 Review: Cardigan at Salvage Vanguard Theater

Cardigan

The premise here is simple: Edgar Cardigan is a frustrated writer turned creative writing teacher, and possibly a compulsive liar. Of course, some might argue that fiction writing is all artfully-rendered lies anyway. Either way, Cardigan is enjoyable, though the script needed some clarifications.

This play is set in a classroom, where Cardigan quickly moves from a typical lecture style into a more staged presentation of his fictional, or not-so-fictional, scenarios, with the help of an assistant (Laura Ray). The use of theater as classroom as theater was the element that demanded suspension of disbelief, and the addition of a confrontational student (Angelica Davis, whose sharp comic timing and biting humor offered great tension relief and kept the pace moving steadily) confirmed that the setting ought to be more clearly grounded in the text.

The author of this play, Trey Deason, also acts in the title role. When he wasn't speaking a bit too quickly, Deason inhabited the frenetic, relentlessly unhappy writer as well as its creator should. That gets to the reason this play was a success in the end -- for a while, Cardigan feels like a male playwright's purging of his frustrations with women, an assumption that is reinforced by the presence of the playwright onstage. But the tables turn, especially as Cardigan begins to recount his encounter with a kind-hearted waitress (played by the ever delightful Jennifer Coy). Their drunken evening together paints Cardigan in a pretty bad light, as he charms her -- then turns her sour -- with his endless storytelling. It becomes pretty clear that, however miserable Cardigan is, he is partly to blame for that.

The play closes with a sad, somewhat confusing twist that tries to justify the play's unclear setting. If that location becomes clearer, Deason's charming, nuanced play will be, too.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.