Silver Spring Stage

In any good performance of film or stage the audience needs to be taken through the gates of suspended disbelief and into the world of the book. Private eyes at Silver Spring Stage is a roller coaster of a play within plays within plays. Although this production’s, almost ad infinitum involutions (yes, I made up the word… you heard it here first), successfully pulls off the various plot switches it falls completely flat because of two striking issues.
First, the really quite talented lead Caity Brown as Lisa, is so emaciated it is stunningly difficult to concentrate on anything other than what looks like her certain and imminent death. It was like watching an actor perform who had large open sores. This distraction was further exacerbated by the plot line which poses her as the sexual target of two men. A reference to her body in the script made me think that both men must be pedophiles who are attracted to seven year olds. Even seven year olds look more healthy than that. My theater partner actually had to avert her eyes part of the time. I kept squirming and wincing.
The other issue is that the husband, Noah Rich as Matthew, could not seem to muster the talent to play a straight male. I kept waiting for the play to evolve into a take on homosexuality, but alas, it was simply that the audience was expected to believe he was what his talent was unable to portray. Please don’t get all «politically correct» on me. He wasn’t credible and that was that.
Feed the girl and get rid of the lisp and you might actually have a decent play.

Silver Spring Stage has some wonderful productions, including an annual series of one-​act plays that are well-​written and well-​acted. Some of these plays are unforgettable, especially the serious ones. I was a little disappointed that this year’s series is going to lean more toward comedy, according to an article in the Gazette. However, the comedies I saw yesterday were certainly entertaining, and one of the dramas was outstanding.
The theater is small, but the seats are very comfortable, and the prices reasonable. Ample parking is available. They now have online ticketing, which is very convenient. However, I’d suggest avoiding having your tickets available at will call: I still had to wait in line with those who hadn’t yet paid for tickets or had problems with their seats. In the future, I’ll print out my ticket and avoid the long line.

This little theater underneath Woodmont Shopping Center is a secret gem. I’ve seen better plays here than Kennedy Center and Shakespeare Theatre. For about the price of a movie, fans can sit in comfortable seats donated by a renovated theater. The selection of plays and the actors are good to very good, sometimes peerless. The theater is collecting money for further upgrades (in addition to the seats, the bathrooms were improved recently). The annual package prices are an excellent value. At least one of the plays every year wins a State wide contest called Ruby Griffith Award.