In its 31^st season, Buffalo Quickies is staging a mixed bag of seven short plays, six of which are world premieres.

They’re Back

In its 31^st season, Buffalo Quickies is staging a mixed bag of seven short plays, six of which are world premieres. Six actors take on everything from chickens with their heads cut off to a smokin’ hot quarterback to Angela Davis and J. Edgar Hoover, or Jedgar, as Lily Tomlin fondly called that weird and dangerous man.

Directed by Executive Artistic Director Chris J Handley, some plays are stronger and more polished than others, comprising comedies and dramadies along with a dash of philosophical musings. From the silly to the profane, with the occasional foray into the profound, Quickies has something for everyone.

The ensemble cast, Joey Bucheker, Rachel Diana Henderson, Kate Olena, Colleen Pine, Matt Rittler and Michael Starzynski take on the seven plays with gusto, creating character after character, some more finely tuned than others, but all clearly defined, and laugh-out-loud funny at times. Their excellent timing combined with wry humorous writing make for some hilarious moments.

A Few Highlights

In Bumper to Bumper, written by Michael Hagins, a jack-knifed truck on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway has left miles of cars backed up on Memorial Day Weekend for hours, with people getting a bit testy. Having once had the pleasure of spending five hours in stalled traffic on a California freeway, I could feel their pain. The stranded motorists in three of the cars interact with each other, one man with serious road rage, a young couple trying to save their marriage, and an older bickering couple with a teenage daughter. As the day wears on, they explore love and relationships, betrayal and loss, and come to some understandings. This play is a mini drama, like a well-written short story.

Buffalo Porno by Jeff Z. Klein is a futuristic look at the thriving porn industry in, wait for it – Tonawanda, NY. California having finally burned to the ground, the film industry moved to Buffalo. As lucrative as the industry is, it could be even more so. How? you might ask. Well, that’s the joke and it will not be revealed here. This one has many local references and is great fun if a bit repetitive at times. It’s also very profane, so be prepared.

Chicken Is Condemned to Be Free by Jesse Jae Hoon is a two-hander wherein Kate Olena and Michael Starzynski are headless chickens who explore the meaning of life, or lack thereof, right after the axe has fallen. He believes that he believes in the concept of optimistic nihilism, which he explains in detail. But does he? The actors are in ridiculous chicken costumes, and still manage poignancy as well as the expected laughs.

Seventeen: The (Unofficial) Josh Allen Musical by Philip Farugia (who is also the Musical Director) and Amy Jakiel (who is also the Choreographer). In this one, two gaming nerds are playing Madden, and one expresses his desire to play the game with his crush, Josh Allen. Joey Bucheker as Steve then breaks into song about playing Madden with Josh Allen. He gives it his all. His friend John (Matthew Rittler) thinks he’s crazy, that Monsieur Allen would never agree. Steve’s older sister Jenna (Colleen Pine) arrives on the scene and the three bicker and sing, sing and bicker. It is great fun, and I admit that I hoped the quarterback himself would make an appearance. But does he?

The Great Steven Stravinsky by Sharai Bohannon, The Commune of Mutual Aid and Education for the People Hosted by Angela Davis with Special Guest J. Edgar Hoover by Alle Mims, and Never Let Go by Raven Petretti-Stamper round out the seven plays. Each has an interesting and/or funny concept, and each has its fine moments, and at the same time the writing could have been tighter.

In The Commune…, Rachel Henderson as Angela Davis rocks the world’s largest Afro and carries more ordnance than the 5^th Army. The puppet avatars by Adam Kreutinger are scarily like their counterparts. Never Let Go speaks to the ubiquitous online streaming of tragic events as they happen, with those affected participating in their 15 minutes of fame, although in this case one participant is already famous. The Great Steven Stravinsky has three children acting out around one’s magic show. In this one, Joey Bucheker as a six-year-old sounds quite a bit like that perennial child, Jerry Lewis, in one of his early films.

Don’t Miss Out

And that’s all, folks…

Buffalo Quickies has arrived on the scene for the 31^st time and will be playing at Alleyway Theatre through March 19^th.