Varied ‘Voices’ sound off

It’s not all that easy to catch and hold a playgoer’s attention for

five or 10 minutes all by yourself, but a number of Orange Coast

College students are doing exactly that in the annual monologue

festival entitled “Solo Voices.”

And they’re doing it in a hurry -- the entire 11-scene program lasts no more than 70 minutes, including intermission.

“Solo Voices” might justifiably be subtitled “The Sean Engard

Show,” since this student participates -- either as writer, director

or actor -- in seven of the presentations, as well as functioning as

the recorded introductory voice before the first and second acts.

Engard is the author-director of the opening monologue, “Shelby’s

Christmas,” with Sabrina Ianacone offering a sweet little

reminiscence as someone who had never heard of Christmas -- and about

halfway through the piece you learn why. Ianacone is the ideal

innocent opening act for an evening that gets a little far out as we

go along.

Engard’s “I-9783,” which he co-directs with Erynne Miller,

features Jaime Ballesteros as a GI Joe-style artificial life form

trained as an assassin. Ballesteros manages to maintain his strong

monotone throughout the life of the segment, or the character.

“Stop Talkin’,” also written by Engard and directed by

Ballesteros, spotlights Martin Elias as an angry young man who can

commun- icate with animals -- and wishes he couldn’t. It’s a volatile

piece with some lofty highs and deep lows.

Mani Natarajan is both writer and director of “Happy Days,” which

opens with Adam Ferry singing the title song of the popular 1970s

sitcom. He then attempts to ascertain the justification behind

wishing everyone a happy day. Especially IRS workers.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” introduces the evening’s most

impressive talent, Lauren Kushin, who co-wrote this bit with Engard

and performs it under the direction of Linda Viramontes. Here, Kushin

portrays a young woman disappointed in love who runs through a number

of popular songs before rocking out to the title number in a segment

overflowing with pizazz.

In “The Judy Miller Show,” written by Marilyn Suzanne Miller and

directed by Jill Prout, Amy Abbascia takes over the stage as a young

girl confined to her room and kicking up a storm as she imagines

herself a hot showbiz star. Give her an A for energy.

“My First Date,” another Engard-written and directed segment,

spotlights Sean Coutu as a luckless lothario whose initial encounter

with the opposite sex is strewn with farce and folly. Coutu makes the

most of this one, stirring some pretty bizarre images.

The evening’s only real disappointment is “I R Champion” by Srini

Natarajan, who also directed. Laura Flores Palacios has the dubious

honor of trying to make sense out of the script and define a nebulous

character.

In Engard’s “Superhero in Training,” directed by Samantha Wellen,

Will Nicol relates his bumbling attempts, which culminate in a true

heroic deed that almost does him in, to achieve superhero status.

It’s an attractive bit, and Nicol projects it well.

The multi-talented Kushin returns for the evening’s funniest

segment, “My Angry Vagina” by Eve Ensler, part of her full-length

“Vagina Monologues.” Directed by Viramontes, it’s a rollicking

rendition of female complaints centering on society’s mistreatment of

a woman’s reproductive organ.

Finally, we meet Sean Engard in the flesh as he performs his “Ham

It Up,” under the direction of Wellen. Engard revels as a subpar

Hamlet being coached through a complete dismantling of the “To Be or

Not to Be” speech by his inner voice, audible to the audience, of

course.

The cast members, all part of OCC’s Repertory Theater Company,

give us something to laugh at, cringe at and think about on the way

home.

IF YOU GO

* WHAT: “Solo Voices”

* WHERE: Orange Coast College Drama Lab Studio

* WHEN: Closing performances tonight

and Saturday at 8 p.m.,

Sunday at 2:30

* COST: $7

* CALL: (714) 432-5880

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.