Fringe Reviews: The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend, and His Girlfriend

THE INVENTOR, THE ESCORT, THE PHOTOGRAPHER, HER BOYFRIEND AND HIS GIRLFRIEND
by Les Spindle

Writer-director Matt Morillo’s sex-com seems a bit racier than network television—if that’s possible. This loosely connected double bill is set in a New York apartment building during a fierce snowstorm.

In a tale of a wealthy sex-aid-device inventor, Jeffrey (Jaret Sacrey) and the “pretty woman” (Jessica Moreno) who he calls upon to play out his bizarrely scripted fantasies, ribald farce awkwardly attempts to segue to touching drama. Yet the two performers bring energy and spirit to the naughty shenanigans and bawdy one-liners, and Dan Mailley’s colorful and imaginative set, enhanced by Kiff Scholl’s graphic design, adds to the fun. This segment is no masterpiece, but it’s an unapologetic guilty pleasure.

The second segment, unfortunately, feels more crude than funny, throwing in some nudity that is perhaps less gratuitous than pointless. Following strains in their relationship, Karen (Isidora Goreshter) and John (Jeffrey Cannata) have made an agreement to let him play around with others. But Karen didn’t bargain for John’s dalliance being with her own cousin (Isadora Goreshter). What follows is less than intriguing, and feels sort of circuitous, as if Morillo’s creative inspiration went dry after writing the first act. All in all, this is scarcely typical fringe fest fare, unless dirty gags are considered fringe-y.

The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend, and His Girlfriend, is part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and runs June 15, 16, 17, 2,2, 23, 24 at Lounge 2 Theatre. For tickets, see http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/802