THESE 'SNAPSHOTS' AREN'T FULLY DEVELOPED.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic Characterized in press material as ``a fascinating pastiche pastiche (păstēsh`, pä–), work of art that combines themes and styles from various sources in such a way as to appear obviously derivative. of hope, despair and triumph,'' Barbara Lindsay's ``Snapshots'' doesn't aim nearly so high. Some sporadic sporadic /spo·rad·ic/ (spo-rad´ic) occurring singly; widely scattered; not epidemic or endemic. spo·rad·ic or spo·rad·i·cal adj. 1. Occurring at irregular intervals. 2. moments of electricity notwithstanding, the production of ``Snapshots'' that opened the 99-seat Circle Theatre season at the El Portal Center El Portal Center is a regional 385,000 square foot indoor mall located in the north Rio Grande bank in downtown Laredo, Texas[1]. It was previously known as the River Drive Mall until 2003 when Morgan Stern Realty bought it and renovated it. for the Arts feels like a competent - and largely uninvolving - evening of scene study. That's basically what ``Snapshots'' is: 10 individual scenes with no real connection to each other or to a common theme. We get the camera imagery (every now and again a flash bulb goes off), but what precisely are we supposed to be seeing snapshots of? Life? Relationships? Low-level quirkiness quirk n. 1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: "Every man had his own quirks and twists" Harriet Beecher Stowe. 2. ? Here's a sampling: a tough-love encounter between a lonely old woman and the guy on the other end of the suicide hotline (he keeps her on hold); a handsome teacher faces a tempting encounter in a bar; two male goofballs are stuck by the side of the road in some desert, convinced they're going to die. Five directors bring these tales to life, and a couple have interesting twists. Others ignite sparks because of the performer taking it on. John Edwin John Edwin (August 10, 1749 - October 31, 1790), English actor, was born in London, the son of a watchmaker. As a youth, he appeared in the provinces, in minor parts; and at Bath in 1768 he formed a connexion with a Mrs Walmsley, a milliner, who bore him a son, but whom he Shaw, as a rebirth-seeking urbanite ur·ban·ite n. A city dweller. in ``The Great Suburban Pseudo Similar to; made up to appear like something else. See pseudo compiler, pseudo language and pseudonymous. (jargon) pseudo - /soo'doh/ (Usenet) Pseudonym. 1. An electronic-mail or Usenet persona adopted by a human for amusement value or as a means of avoiding negative Woodstock Love-In'' is easily the evening's high point. Far less effective is Tammy Dahlstrom as an unlucky-in-love woman named Brenda trying to convince us she's not gay. Annoying character. Annoying writing. ``Snapshots'' graduated to the Circle stage after a successful run at El Portal's even smaller Studio Theatre. How it developed an audience even once, I'll leave it to others to determine. ``SNAPSHOTS'' Where: El Portal Center for the Arts Circle Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Feb. 18. Tickets: $20. Call (818) 508-4200. Our rating: Two stars |
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