Glory Days
Glory Days
Written and directed by Kerry Giese
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, Pink Venue</strong>
Dreams. What good are they in middle age? Barrett (Holland Hayes) and his buddy Trent (David West) used to have them, Barrett was going to play for the Red Skins, and Trent was tagging along. Barrett’s ex-high school girl friend Pam (Jenn Bonner) is still around but she married a Middle Eastern guy named Richard who obviously works for Al Qaida. Or maybe not, they’re all employees in a chemical factory that makes explosives, and those explosives are disappearing, and the whole shift will get the ax if the culprit isn’t discovered soon. Jim’s Bar (Karl Anthony) is a good stake out for Barrett and Trent, if they can catch Richard stealing the stuff they save their jobs and score a $25,000 reward. But Pam is wise; she comes over and pops her top to distract the boys. The transfer is made but Richard is busted and everyone’s STILL gets fired. Worse, Barrett’s jealous wife Amy (E. B. Block) hears the boob story and then there’s real hell to pay. By this time Trent has his wife (Darby Ballard) pregnant and the looming question is: who ratted out Richard, and was he really a terrorist? Things are looking pretty grim for everyone but Barrett: he’s the one guy with an opportunity; he can coach football at the local high school. Hold on – Amy and Pam reconcile, Barrett accepts the high school gig and he might even take on Trent as his assistant! Even Jim is getting a new beer cooler; it’s that good a day.
There’s a solid drama with a few great twists and no real WTF moments until the last few minutes. The situation is real, the motivations reasonable and the defections and results are heart wrenching yet plausible. However the denouement seems overly quick, people make up and change attitude with only marginal impetus. Still, this a worthy show about real people in real situations, and they are acted superbly.
This commentary was based on a technical rehearsal.
This production is part of the 2014 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival. Information on tickets and show times may be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/
