Skeeter (Joseph Tanner Paul and Winona (Megan Simon) sort out their differences during an Exploding Love scene. (Photo by Turner Maxwell)
When Skeeter uttered the line “I’m not your average psycho,” it became clear to me that the Student Production Association’s production of Exploding Love was not going to be your average play.
A one-act play by Joseph Coyne, the show centers on Skeeter’s attempt (Joseph Tanner Paul) to stop his ex-wife’s nuptials by strapping a bomb to his chest and threatening to blow up city hall. In the process, he manages to take hostages, explain the meaning of marriage and show that people will, in fact, do absolutely crazy things for love. With Paul’s acting, this could-be-crazy man comes across as funny, charming and, dare I say, romantic.
Skeeter brings together an ensemble of characters that strike a balance between being over the top and people you would like to share a beer (or a padded cell) with.
Make that a men’s bathroom, where the play is set. Simplistic, the bathroom adds a touch of humanity to the shenanigans on stage. The audience surrounds three sides of the stage, proving problematic at some key points of the play.
While the actors make do, I found myself wishing I could switch seats to catch various scenes from a better angle. However, this adds to the near-sitcom feel of the play, and by the time it was over, I almost forgot I was in a theater.
Skeeter (Paul) and an officer (Polly Bond) begin negotiations (Photo by Turner Maxwell)
Aside from the set, it’s the dialogue that really sets the play on fire. Dawson Shadd and Samantha Rose White are impeccable in delivering some of the funniest lines of the play as Rory and Fran, an almost-to-the-aisle couple.
White nails Fran as a bridezilla, desperate to wed, while Shadd brings to life a character that has to be dragged to the final “I might.”
To top it off, Sean Dugan as Zeke, a so-called “dog angel,” completes the scene. Dugan is so convincing, you’ll almost believe his character’s hippie, dog-loving philosophies are his own. Not to give anything away, but a particular rendition of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” will have you nearly out of your seat laughing.
The show itself is short, making it a perfect way to spend an hour during a cold, rainy month. The energy is inescapable and never-ending, a rocky roller coaster to the very end. And just when you think you have the play figured out — who will end up with whom, who might get blown to smithereens or locked away in hand cuffs — everything changes. The end product was ten times better than I ever imagined it could be.
Yet, at the heart of the bombastic hilarity is the common theme of love. If it’s one thing we can learn from the couples struggling to get to the altar, trying to find a way back to each other or seemingly thrown together, it’s that romance never follows a painted Harlequin guide. In fact, don’t be surprised if it comes with a stick of dynamite or two.
When: Feb. 2, 3-4, 9-11 at 7:30 p.m.; and Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.
Where: Blue Door Theatre
Cost: $8 for students, staff and seniors; and $10 for geeneral admission. Free showing on Feb.2 with donation of two cans of food.
