Bold, baudy bedroom plays at Epic

By Don Fowler
Posted 7/14/16

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Epic Theatre’s director Kevin Broccoli said as we entered the nearly sold-out house at Mixed Magic Theatre.

Broccoli has gathered 28 actors, 10 directors …

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Bold, baudy bedroom plays at Epic

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“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Epic Theatre’s director Kevin Broccoli said as we entered the nearly sold-out house at Mixed Magic Theatre.

Broccoli has gathered 28 actors, 10 directors and himself (playwright and director) to present 10 short comedic plays about love, sex, friendship and “what people do behind closed doors.”

The first play is a short soliloquy, followed by “The Dirty Talk” about a married couple involved in a verbal contest while their baby cries in the background.

Emcee Mary Paolino, proclaiming to be the “kind, motherly type,” is hilarious and spontaneous as she moves the program along, giving audience members an opportunity to leave as things get spicier and raunchier.

Only one couple left the night we were there, making an exit when the lights dimmed after the fourth play, “Roommates,” one of the better plays with a great punchline. From there, the plays got more licentious, as Epic set what probably was a Guinness record for most nude actors on stage at one time.

My favorite was “Gamma, Gamma, Gamma,” about a group of frat brothers trying to “educate” the virgin among them.

The evening closes with a wild and crazy Moliere-like free-for-all that required perfect timing and an open mind.

Folks, this groundbreaking evening of theatre isn’t for everyone. If poking fun at our sexual mores and looking at nude bodies isn’t your form of entertainment, go see “The Wizard of Oz” at Theatre-by-the-Sea,” or better yet, nude puppets at Ocean State Theatre.

“We’re always looking to examine a traditional genre in a new way,” Artistic Director Kevin Broccoli said. “’The Bedroom Plays’ is part farce, part play festival, and partly insane.”

I found many of the plays funny and satirical. One I didn’t get. One I didn’t like. But that’s the fun of a festival of short plays.

I’m pleased that playwright Broccoli limited the profanity, concentrating more on the sexual dynamics.

This is without question an R rated performance. The good news is that it not only reveals bodies, it reveals truths. Go at your own risk.

“The Bedroom Plays is at Mixed Magic Theatre’s site, 560 Mineral Spring Ave. in Pawtucket Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. through July 28. Tickets are $20. Call 305-7333 for tickets and information.

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