A new play, It is Done, is being marketed as a dark and dirty thriller. Performances are only on Mondays and Tuesdays at The Mean Fiddler Bar & Grill. Now when one pictures a show in a bar, it usually conjures up images of a fun little upbeat skit run to entertain people as they have their food and drinks. But don’t be swayed into thinking this is in that category. It is Done will thrill you, surprise you, and have you walking away shaking a bit in your boots or your shoes depending on what you wear.
It is Done is about the secrets we keep. It involves three strangers who meet up in an out of the way bar that is in the middle of nowhere. Hank, the bartender, is all about dirty thinking. He has a family that he has no use for and he runs the bar with few customers except for a month or two in the fall when seasonal workers fill it up. Jonas enters the bar after getting caught up in a tremendous windstorm. He is not up for conversation with the bartender but when Ruby arrives, he suddenly is willing to talk. Ruby’s car has broken down by coincidence right outside the bar. She comes in to call a tow truck and has time to kill before it arrives.
The play allows the characters to expose who and what they are in a manner that surprises the audience. It would ruin the surprise to tell more about Jonas and Ruby except to say that when it finally comes out as to whom they really are, the action goes forward on full throttle. Good special effects add to the mayhem taking place and help to keep the audience just slightly on edge to get the full effect of what is happening. As an active playgoer, I see a lot of shows and normally I can “see it coming.” This one completely blindsided me especially the ending.
Cast members include Catia Ojeda, Matt Kalman, and Ean Sheehy. The play was written by Alex Goldberg and directed by Tom Wojtunik. The show opened on Nov. 7, 2011 at The Mean Fiddler and it was the world premiere. Although it works well in an actual bar, this could go on to a full sized Off-Broadway theater; it’s that good.
Having the show in The Mean Fiddler Bar & Grill is purposely done since the entire set for the show is in a bar. The Mean Fiddler is a fine establishment with good food and drink and fairly reasonable prices for the Theater District. The downstairs room used is a nice space with a full bar and plenty of seating so that the audience can feel like they are in the bar in the show, but they are only observing. This is not a participative show.
This run of It is Done will go until Dec. 5, 2011. Shows are on Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and the house opens at 6:30 p.m. at The Mean Fiddler Bar & Grill at 266 West 47 Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway. Tickets are $30 including one drink. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to the show’s website: www.ItisDoneThePlay.com.
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