Welcome to the latest edition of our new blog, Radar, a rundown of upcoming events worthy of marking your calendar for. Today we're previewing a dark comedy from freefall Theatre:
The newest installment in American Stage’s After Hours Series is Circumference of a Squirrel — a production that got a rave review from Mark Leib when it ran at Studio@620 in December — and the perfect solution for theater lovers on a budget (not to mention anyone who finds themselves stuck at work during normal playtime hours). Previous After Hours projects include cult favorites like Thom Paine (based on nothing) and Reefer Madness — and Circumference promises to continue the slightly off-kilter, really kooky, totally entertaining trend. As the title implies, this dark comedy spins circles of meaning orbiting a one-man performance about Chester, a tortured, obsessive young man preoccupied with everything but the task at hand. A self-diagnosed “rodentophobe,” he frets ceaselessly about his parents, his ex-wife and the constant threat of rabies. Chester shares details about his father’s irrational fear of squirrels and disease, a childhood burden that in turn infected Chester’s own life. Mark Leib said, "Gavin Hawk gives a manic, hilarious and heartbreaking performance," and that if "you like your comedy dark and exceedingly disturbing, you won't want to miss this." (Pictured: Gavin Hawk as Chester, courtesy actorscraft.com) Aug. 4-22, 7:30 p.m. Tues., 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., American Stage Theatre, 163 Third St. N., St. Petersburg, all performances are “pay what you can” admission, 727-823-7529, americanstage.org. – Franki Weddington
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2009.