Players pulls off Neil Simon's comedy

Neil Simon took a pitiful situation -- a man trying to have affairs with three women -- and made it hysterical. Penn Players took on a tough job -- producing a three-act play, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, in three weeks -- and pulled it off with flying colors. Three weeks is not much time to develop a character, but in this directing debut for College junior Tom McManus, all four actors were convincing in their roles. As Barney Cashman's first attempt at an extramarital affair, College junior Simone Elliot handles playwright Simon's biting wit excellently. While Elliot's costuming was not exactly what one would envision for the character, she is exceptional as a woman so disgusted with life that the only thing left for her is enjoying "the physical act of making love." College senior Mara Bralove's performance of Cashman's second try, "a psycho out-of-work nightclub singer," was also believable. She possesed an energy that at times overshadowed Cashman, making him seem invisible. The third act displays Cashman's final attempt at finding extra-marital happiness, Jeanette. Engineering senior Allison Polin, a newcomer to the stage, brought a frighteningly depressing reality to a woman who says she has "enjoyed only 8.2 percent of her life." This brings us to the long-suffering man who is present through it all, Cashman himself. College junior Tom Shotkin had said that it is easy to see the personality of his character, Barney Cashman, progress throughout the script. Shotkin's performance accomplished the progresion successfully. In the first act, Shotkin portrays a Cashman tentatively trying to understand the woman with whom he intends to have an affair. By the second act Shotkin's character eagerly hopes to seduce his target quickly, while dreading to repeat his first failure. By the third act Cashman, in trying to convince a woman of her sanity, realizes he is not as bad off as he thought -- that "nice" is acceptable. The most noticeable fault, however, was the actors appeared to be directing much of their monologues towards a spot in the back of the theater. It is one thing to stare thoughtfully into space; it is quite another to talk meaningfully to the back wall. Director McManus and his cast brought together an excellent production in an amazingly short amount of time and deserve a lot of credit. Last of the Red Hot Lovers continues tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in the Studio Theater in Annenberg Center. Tickets are available on Locust Walk and at the door.

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