World Premiere at Milwaukee’s Windfall Theatre

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Photo Courtesy of Windfall Theatre

Milwaukee playwright Deanna Strasse delivers a four-course meal of short plays in the world premiere of Before We Burn Out, which opened last weekend in a Windfall Theatre production. Each play examines a different kind of love story, focusing on what you give up in getting what you want.

The first is an appetizer lasting only a few minutes. A pair of young women (Jessica Trznadel, Melody Lopac) meet for coffee. They discuss how things are going between one of the women and her live-in boyfriend. It soon becomes clear that she is willing to settle for a less-than-perfect match rather than “waste” her time starting over with someone new. The next play, Past Tense, looks at a long-married couple just returned from a vacation to Italy. As they begin to unpack their things, they mull over the fact that the trip’s purpose—rekindling marital romance—was a bust. What’s next? Kathleen (Donna Daniels) claims she doesn’t want a divorce. Eric (William Molitor) thinks back to his youth, wondering whether he should have sewed some wild oats before settling down. As the play ends, the couple’s future seems uncertain.

The first act’s final play, Such As These, is narrated by a young man (Chris Goode) as he reminisces about growing up with a family friend he calls “Aunt” Rose (Trznadel). She is a free-spirited woman who became friends with the boy’s mother (Lopac) in college. Later, Rose’s liberal ways clash with the mother’s and her husband’s (Cory Jefferson Hagen) strict religious beliefs. Goode is especially effective in a difficult role, as he switches from a boy about 6 years old to a pre-teen, and then to someone in his 20s. The play explores various phases of the boy’s infatuation with this exotic woman in his life.

Saving the best for last, the entire second act is devoted to Summers in Prague. It is by far the most intriguing and sexually explicit of the evening’s performances (although nothing is seen, much is implied). Mara (Lopac), decides to end a lapse in her love life while she’s on vacation in Prague, the Czech Republic. She decides to hire a professional escort, Vaclav (Hagen), who comes to her hotel room. Their romantic interplay is the evening’s highlight, as the ever-smooth Vaclav attempts to raise Mara’s self-esteem while seducing her. In a similar fashion to Same Time Next Year, the couple in this play continue to meet at regular intervals—always at Mara’s request, since she’s picking up the tab.

Mara gets more than she bargained for in this arrangement. She eventually falls in love with the sweet-talking Vaclav, who admits to having feelings for her as well. However, he understands better than she does that their relationship is built on fantasy. When Mara falls in love with someone from the U.S., she realizes that it’s going to be more difficult to give up Vaclav than she’d thought. Under Strasse’s smart direction, Lopac and Hagen allow their strange relationship to develop in a way that proves mesmerizing.

The production is staged in the Brumder Mansion’s small basement, which allows an intimate bond between the audience and the actors. Tom Marks deserves credit for his superb lighting and sound work. With only a minimal set change between plays, the sound and lighting cues help transport the audience to all the different locations featured in these plays.

Through March 21 at the Brumder Mansion, 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave. (but given the evolving situation regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, be sure to call ahead regarding future performances).

Milwaukee playwright Deanna Strasse delivers a four-course meal of short plays in the world premiere of Before We Burn Out, which opened last weekend in a Windfall Theatre production. Each play examines a different kind of love story, focusing on what you give up in getting what you want.

The first is an appetizer lasting only a few minutes. A pair of young women (Jessica Trznadel, Melody Lopac) meet for coffee. They discuss how things are going between one of the women and her live-in boyfriend. It soon becomes clear that she is willing to settle for a less-than-perfect match rather than “waste” her time starting over with someone new. The next play, Past Tense, looks at a long-married couple just returned from a vacation to Italy. As they begin to unpack their things, they mull over the fact that the trip’s purpose—rekindling marital romance—was a bust. What’s next? Kathleen (Donna Daniels) claims she doesn’t want a divorce. Eric (William Molitor) thinks back to his youth, wondering whether he should have sewed some wild oats before settling down. As the play ends, the couple’s future seems uncertain.

The first act’s final play, Such As These, is narrated by a young man (Chris Goode) as he reminisces about growing up with a family friend he calls “Aunt” Rose (Trznadel). She is a free-spirited woman who became friends with the boy’s mother (Lopac) in college. Later, Rose’s liberal ways clash with the mother’s and her husband’s (Cory Jefferson Hagen) strict religious beliefs. Goode is especially effective in a difficult role, as he switches from a boy about 6 years old to a pre-teen, and then to someone in his 20s. The play explores various phases of the boy’s infatuation with this exotic woman in his life.

Saving the best for last, the entire second act is devoted to Summers in Prague. It is by far the most intriguing and sexually explicit of the evening’s performances (although nothing is seen, much is implied). Mara, a pretty, overweight young woman (Lopac), decides to end a lapse in her love life while she’s on vacation in Prague, the Czech Republic. She decides to hire a professional escort, Vaclav (Hagen), who comes to her hotel room. Their romantic interplay is the evening’s highlight, as the ever-smooth Vaclav attempts to raise Mara’s self-esteem while seducing her. In a similar fashion to Same Time Next Year, the couple in this play continue to meet at regular intervals—always at Mara’s request, since she’s picking up the tab.

Mara gets more than she bargained for in this arrangement. She eventually falls in love with the sweet-talking Vaclav, who admits to having feelings for her as well. However, he understands better than she does that their relationship is built on fantasy. When Mara falls in love with someone from the U.S., she realizes that it’s going to be more difficult to give up Vaclav than she’d thought. Under Strasse’s smart direction, Lopac and Hagen allow their strange relationship to develop in a way that proves mesmerizing.

The production is staged in the Brumder Mansion’s small basement, which allows an intimate bond between the audience and the actors. Tom Marks deserves credit for his superb lighting and sound work. With only a minimal set change between plays, the sound and lighting cues help transport the audience to all the different locations featured in these plays.

Through March 21 at the Brumder Mansion, 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave. (but given the evolving situation regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, be sure to call ahead regarding future performances).