The Playhouse at Westport is a good venue for small, often one-person shows that are, to varying degrees, not the same old thing. The current offering is Oddville: a love story?, from the creative team of Dave Shirley and Robert Dubac. If Dubac’s name is familiar, it’s because he’s been in town with his shows of The Book of Moron and The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?, both at the Playhouse.
Shirley is the performer here in a piece that combines physical comedy, electronic amusement, a little juggling and some magic tricks with a fable-like story line about Lonely1, a guy we see both in the flesh and digitally. He’s fascinating to watch, especially since he speaks not at all until the last 15 minutes or so, and even then it’s relatively brief. But he’s very good at what he does, the mime, the lip-read-it dialogue and the physical comedy.
The complex set probably takes several times as long to set up as the 90-minute play (no intermission) does. And we’ll warn two groups that this play won’t work for them. It’s extremely visual, so for those who are not sighted, it will be difficult. And for those with sensitivity to blue language, when Shirley does talk – actually, when he sings – it’s quite remarkable in the depth of its blueness, mitigated only by the rapidity with which the strings of words are delivered.
So fair warning. But if you’re looking for something very different as the holiday season comes to a close, this is probably top of the list. It runs only through Saturday night (there’s a matinee that day, as well), so get on it.
Oddville: a love story?
Through December 30
The Playhouse at Westport