By Michael Buzzelli
For actors, Tech Week has always been the moment magic and mayhem collide. It’s never been better represented than in Anne Washburn’s hilarious and immersive play, “10 Out of 12.”
When you enter the Mellon Institute Library on the University of Pittsburgh campus, you are given a headset. Real Life Associate Producer and Patron Relations Manager Hazy J will show you how to wear and operate the headset. They will be one of the few real-life crew members you will meet.
In this show, the actors play stage crew, the director, and even, oddly enough, actors.
Elliot (Tim McGeever) is directing a troubled production of an untitled play. While Molly (Jamie Agnello), the stage manager, and crew members, Eric (Conor McCanlus), Jamie (Olivia Ruhnke), and the assistant director, Diego (José Pérez, IV), run around making last-minute adjustments.
Ben (Mark August) plays Charles in the show-within-the-show. His character may or may not be in love with Richard (Evan Vines), played by a TV and film actor named Jake (think Elordi, but it could easily be any Tom, Dick, or Timothée).
Jake has his eyes on the leading lady, Eva (Melessie Clark), and a showmance develops.
Waiting in the wings is Paul (Corey Rieger), who brings a boatload of added tension to the production.
Headset hilarity ensues.
Tensions rise, and the mousetrap snaps shut!
P.S. There is a reference to a mouse in the show, but mousetrap is being used in the Shakespearean context of a show-within-a-show.
The acting is superb. Washburn’s comedy comes from a real and heartfelt place. The characters seem real, lived-in.
On every crew, there is a crew member who makes themselves so indispensable that they refuse to leave the set when injured. McCanlus milks out every bit of humor from each of his lines without being over-the-top or unreal. The performance is so genuine. The only thing missing was the cargo shorts.
McGeever’s Elliot is our tour guide into this unique world. His frustrations are delightfully comic.
Pérez is in top form here. His character is so hopped up on Jake’s rizz that he blunders in every interaction with the movie star. It’s comic, but. Once again, coming from a grounded place.
Shammen McCune plays a variety of roles, each with an unflattering name and/or profession. She plays Old Lady, Imp, and whore. Each character is unique. Lucille, the aforementioned harlot, is so far from her normal slate of imperious and regal characters that it’s astonishing.
Rieger shines bright in “10 Out of 12.” His Paul is a temperamental genius, admired and feared by cast and “crew.” He brings a gravitas that befits the role. Rieger gets two brilliant monologues that will be oft-repeated in auditions by actors and wannabe actors far and wide.
Clark is another delight here, lighting up the stage with her mere presence. Her best scenes come in stolen moments between snafus. Her chemistry with the rest of the crew is palpable. Her interactions with McCune and August between “scenes” are filled with loving energy.
August is terrific here. His Ben is an affable actor, but his Charles gives off Matt Berry vibes (“The IT Crowd,” “What We Do In Shadows,” etc.).
Runke and Agnello’s best lines are delivered over the headsets, but they nail each one.
It won’t be long before Vines develops a fan base like his character. He is charming and charismatic on the stage.
Now onto the real behind-the-scenes crew:
It’s another fantastic set by the “retired” Tony Ferrieri. The set opens like a Mad Magazine Centerfold or a Barbie Camper, transforming from a Victorian Drawing Room to a Cartoon Jungle.
Carrie Ann Huneycutt’s costumes are perfect for the on-stage actors and crew (though I really would have put McCanlus in Cargo shorts).
The madness is deftly directed by Andrew William Smith (a longtime Quantum actor, now behind the scenes).
Warning: Actors in the audience may experience PTSD, but in the most fun way possible. Side note: In actual productions. There’s a lot more yelling.
“10 Out of 12” is part “Noises Off,” part “The Play That Goes Wrong,” but with added layers of depth. Washburn and Smith manage to work in some “Locals Only” jokes that are uniquely Pittsburgh.
“10 Out of 12” isn’t just the title. It’s the number of stars in the production’s rating.
-MB
“10 Out of 12” runs from April 3 to April 26 at the Mellon Institute, Fifth and Bellefield (use the Bellefield entrance), Pittsburgh, PA, 15213. For tickets and additional information, click here.
