Two Gems on Union Square

TWO TREASURES IN A BASEMENT

The theater is a reflection of life…

W.R. Inge

This weekend until April 26, Harley Brown’s Café is showcasing two West Coast Premiers, original one-act plays, both so intense and so well acted, the audiences feels as if it is looking into a window at their own neighborhood bar. The first play, LAST CALL is written by Kurt Weitzmann, San Francisco’s legendary comedian who has been making us laugh ever since he began his stand-up career at the Holy City Zoo in the late eighties. His play, LAST CALL, directed by Norman Siopis opens the program. This is the story of Nick (Joe Maderp) who is kicked out of his neighborhood bar at last call. He pulls a gun on the bartender (Tom Martins) and the two are suddenly enmeshed in an amazing barrage of fast–paced repartee that moves the plot from one unexpected surprise to another. It is the acting that elevates this slice-of-life mystery into a magnificent theatrical experience. The pace is swift and characterizations frighteningly real. We KNOW these men because they are us.

The second offering THE AMERICAN BAR written by Mark Witteveen and directed by Tom Martins is another bar episode, and this one develops a series of unexpected relationships that explore our ties to one another and to the families we create. Again, the actors make the play. Both Norman Siopsis as the angry brother-in-law and Kevin Dougan as the soldier who stops in the bar for a drink hold the play together and move it forward to its inevitable end.

The two productions add up to a stimulating, strong theatrical evening, one that gives you something to take home and ponder. Indeed the angers, the betrayals, the needs portrayed on that stage are as true as any you see when you do indeed stop in at your local bar, have a drink and get to know who you really are.

If you go: The American Bar & Last Call continues Thursday-Saturday @ 8 pm until April 26 at Stage Werx Theatre, 533 Sutter Street in San Francisco.

Tickets $25.00 www.brownpapertickets.com or Ticket Hotline: 1-800-3006

There is no late seating for these shows.

Hartley Brown’s Café will donate a percentage of the proceeds to THE PAUL K. MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, known for its philanthropic efforts to help the underprivileged in a variety of ways. www.paulkfoundation.org