Guest writer Melissa K Fyfe reviews Mark Eugene-Garcia’s “With Bated Breath”

Garcia’s production of With Bated Breath delivered a laugh-out-loud experience, and with such talent from the cast, this well-written play was sure to please all who had the privilege to attend. The clever one-liners and much alliteration are cleverly placed within the story, leading the audience down the winding path of a multilayered plot filled with mysteries and characters you can relate to and soon adore. Each cast member brings life to this small town in Virgin, Minnesota, and takes the audience on a wild journey with many subjects, all while charming us effortlessly. The play embraces an underlying message of light-hearted fun and leaves you feeling like you have taken a ride filled with twists and turns and brimming with good-hearted creativity.​

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The very moment the play begins, the audience is whisked away to a quaint country town store named Warner’s Corner Store. The owner, played by Kirstin Wolf, used words with clarity and precise timing to really ensure the audience was aware as to where and what the story was about to unfold before our very eyes. Keenly using articulation and props of air in a jar, cat, and not to forget her scarf over her hair to create an aged woman, she produces a clear road map for what the audience will be in store for, and sparks curiosity amidst the story about to unfold.

The production is a triple-winning combination. Garcia’s witty and clever writing skills and use of words, combined with the professional and perfect stage direction of Bolanos , in addition to the cast of seven who have multiple roles, pull off a well-timed, flowing, and jovial story.  Dylan Glick masterfully changes roles simply with a pigtailed wig to play “Mona” and a baseball hat to play character “Ulaf”. He delivers each role with convincing lines and gets laughs the whole way through, an absolute gem in the theater.

The town has a mayor who is anxious and lacks leadership confidence, yet Frankie (perfectly played by the lovable Matthew Penalva), who is not ever acknowledged to the point that it is quite humorous. The town is run by Pastor Johnson (played superbly by Duncan Pflaster), who delivers his words with a force of passion and strength. Provides lines like “Satan only smiles through willing mouths,” the Pastor regularly displays his various biased opinions and leaves you feeling there is more to this character than meets the eye. When Dr. Corazon De La Fuente (Martha Lorena Preve) is on stage, she eloquently fills in the scientific details and provides the foundation for essential pieces to the plot. Finding capable workers, well, now that’s another issue. We meet Kirstin Wolf again as “Blondie” and “What’s Her Face”.  The factory will be manufacturing sex pills, and the town, which is against “sex”, with Pastor Johnson taking a town-wide stand against it, becomes quite a conundrum. The factory worker Oliver “Tiny” Cox (intrinsically played by Federico Mallet, who also plays the role of Gunner, a more physical comedic approach and does so with ease) is in danger.  A mysterious saboteur causes a cooling system failure, resulting in a toxic fume explosion in the factory. Erotic fumes prevail in the town, which becomes overrun with sexual intentions that prove to be too strong for the Virgin townsfolk. Mayor Frankie is immune and harbors feelings for Dr.LaFuente. Will the Mayor win in the game of love? Will the town of Virgin be able to control itself and rein in its needs?  
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I cannot say enough positive words that express how fond of this cast the audience becomes throughout this tale’s many captivating theatrical components. Laura Walter, who delivers lines effortlessly and creates Randy Johnson, the handsome player son of a preacher man, before our eyes, and then changes to a well- hearted lusting woman, was a performance well done and was extremely comical. The director Rodrigo Ernesto Bolanos should have an honorable mention as well, as he somehow created multiple rooms, atmosphere, and guided this cast to a winning combination of humor, precision acting, and overall audience enjoyment. The stage team and producer Aaron Clark Burstein should be congratulated for helping give life to this project filled with love and laughter, and it is with sincere hope that this play becomes close to your proximity sometime soon.