BOTTOM LINE: A solid story about relationships from a promising playwright.
Anyone who has ever spent significant time in a train station knows that there are hundreds of stories going on in any waiting room. Playwright Emily Comisar chose to mine this surprisingly untouched area in her play Track Twelve, currently playing at Teatro Circulo as part of this year’s Fringe Festival. This promising play brings together siblings heading to their mother’s wedding and business partners on their way to a meeting, when a snowstorm delays their train.
Set in Penn Station, the storyline of bohemian wedding photographer Jenny (played by Keelie A. Sheridan) and her older banker brother Simon (played by Leo Goodman) focuses on their relationship with their parents as they head to the family gathering. The parallel story is about consultants Lindsay (played by Sarah Sanders) and Mike (Charlie Gorrilla), business partners once engaged to be married. The storylines eventually collide while the four are waiting for their delayed train, as Jenny and Mike hit it off and Simon gives Lindsay some professional advice. Sheridan and Gorrilla share strong chemistry as the unexpected couple. The characters are surprisingly well drawn for a one-act play; we see different shades of all four characters as different aspects of their personal lives are revealed.
Though the ending of the play feels a little unfinished, the concept and the characters are all clever and unique. Moments of dialogue, specifically when the characters are arguing, can tend toward cliché or unrealistic, but overall the script serves the talented actors well. The 90-minute show speeds along, nicely directed by Josh Penzell.
Track Twelve is the sort of Fringe show I would recommend to festival or theatre newbies. It is an engaging play about regular people facing real life problems, told in an entertaining way. I look forward to following the career of playwright Comisar.
(Track Twelve plays at Teatro Circular, 64 East 4th Street, through August 23, 2013. Remaining performances are August 15th at 8:45PM, August 18th at 8:45PM, August 21st at 5PM, and August 23rd at 2PM. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and are available at fringenyc.org or by calling 866.468.7191.)