The other kind of quickie

What do a politically frustrated leprechaun, a sexually repressed telemarketer and God all have in common?

They are all characters in a series of plays entitled "Buffalo Quickies," now playing at Alleyway Theatre in downtown Buffalo. The 14th annual event features nine one-act plays and runs through March 20.

An impressive number of theatergoers filled the Alleyway on Thursday for opening night, despite the harsh wind chill and frigid temperatures.

The evening opened to the rhythm of Celtic music as the lights dimmed and hushed the crowd.

"Green Beer and Bagels," written by Rachel Lynn Brody was the first of the plays and featured Kim Piazza as a leprechaun and Ginger Geoffery as Petra.

The pair evoked chuckles aplenty from the audience as the politically under-represented female leprechaun tried to explain the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day to Petra, a college girl just interested in green beer.

The intentional overacting and outrageous scenario of this play set the tone for the whole production. In contrast, all the other plays seemed quite believable.

This play definitely worked as a one-act, as its brevity was one of its most admirable qualities.

The second feature, Marni Ayers's "Gundogs and Juice," has a more realistic approach.

Matthew LaChiusa plays Jody, a construction worker and half-bully, half-pal to Tim (played by Kevin Brach), a nerdy victim trying to turn his life around.

The expertly done dramatic comedy features stereotypes and wordplay to produce a moving story about two friends who grow apart because one has found himself.

The events in the play lend themselves to the one-act format. The acting is well done, believable and quite satisfying.

"Doreen's Turns of Phrase" features a couple out to dinner. Kate Olena plays the hyperactive Doreen while Matthew LaChiusa plays a monotone Gordon.

This piece would be a nightmare for any editor. Doreen speaks in nothing but incorrect clich?(c)s while Gordon's acknowledgements translate her words for the audience.

Written by John A. Donnelly, the play produces humor through wordplay. Continuous laughter overwhelmed the crowed as clich?(c) after clich?(c) was mangled irrevocably.

The fourth short was written by Molly Best Tinsley and entitled, "Cellmates." Kim Piazza played Cass and Kevin Brach played Rob. The most unlikely, cubicle -confined couple discusses Cass and her hopes for the future.

The pair only speak to each other on their cell-phones, as Rob is deathly afraid of all visual and physical contact. The comedic play is about breaking down walls of several sorts.

"Ice Cream for Dinner" is an unsuccessful one-act tragedy written by Donnamarie Vaughan. In fairness however, tragedy is harder to convey in one-act than comedy.

Ginger Geoffery plays a young girl with a fatal illness that attempts to convey her fear, sorrow and pain in a spotlighted soliloquy. The character and the overall effect of the play would have benefited greatly if the main character had been given a name. It is too difficult to make an audience identify and sympathize with a nameless character within one act.

The sixth one-act was written by Alex Broun and entitled, "Drew Barrymore and Sigmund Freud Meet the Cookie Monster." The play employs Kate Olena, Matthew LaChiusa and Kevin Brach in a hilariously explicit dialogue.

The three discuss marketing in sexually charged language, using vulgar innuendos that would be immediately obvious to most college students.

"The Rental" is a critique on the idea of escort services written by Mark Harvey Levine. Kate Olena plays Sonya and Kevin Brach plays Harold.

Sonya is a depressed, middle-aged woman and Harold is a birthday present her friend sends her to cheer her up. Harold, a temporary boyfriend, spends his time trying to convince Sonya how much she means to him, even though he is only there for the day.

The comedy works quite well as a short, but it definitely could be successfully extended.

The second to last short, also written by Levine is entitled "The Kiss" and is a story about two friends who explore why they are just friends, when one asks for the other to rate how he kisses.

Kim Piazza plays Allison and Matthew LaChiusa plays Dennis in this not-so-romantic comedy about the nature of friendship.

"Bertha, Helen, Vivian, or Jane," written by Ellen West was the final performance of the night and featured Ginger Geoffery as Michelle and Kate Olena as Bertha.

Michelle is an overworked, stressed-out businesswoman living a fast-paced life when God personified, in the form of Bertha, steps in to slow it down for her and explain a few things about life in the process.

Overall, these shorts were very well done. Impressive acting made the minimalist scenery less of a detraction and good comedy kept the audience entertained.