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The audience of about 70 was spellbound Tuesday evening at City Stage in Union Station, taking in the popular Kansas City Fringe Festival offering Worth. Although director Jay Akin’s condensed version successfully packs a powerfully emotional punch into one hour, a staging of the full two-act play would be an advantageous experience and hopefully will come to Kansas City someday soon.

Written by former Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre actor Forrest Attaway, Worth’s tragic story begins austerely enough—one man owes another money for rent. The plot quickly twists into complexity, though, thanks to the intricately developed characters and the dark side of very real, weighty topics—family, work, sexuality, and money. Before long, the disquieting ties between all individuals involved become grimly clear.

Paul Orwick leads the ensemble with his compelling portrayal of Adam, a businessman with apparent demons on his back, brilliantly creating an equally wretched and menacing personality. Ben Gulley—trained as an operatic tenor—displays his earnest acting chops as Bill, a depressed loser wrung out by a loveless marriage, and easily projects his strong voice with impressive passion when necessary. Jan Chapman’s character, Bill’s wife and Adam’s sister, Marcy, is hindered most by the play’s abbreviation. While wonderfully played by Chapman, Marcy still could have used a few more scenes to develop from a smart-mouthed housewife in denial to the internally complicated, suffering person we discover later. Kyle Dyck is convincing and gives a heartfelt rendition as Marcy’s awkward and piteous son, Jason.

Seemingly worlds away from the family is Q, a surprisingly articulate pimp in a convoluted relationship with his two hookers. Whit Welker is well suited for the rugged and sinister Q, nailing the character’s intimidating and controlling nature. Michelle Wilke captures novice hooker Hanna’s naïveté well without falling into the “hooker with a heart of gold” stereotype. Mary Donaldson also adds depth to her hooker character, the jaded Chastity, with the intentionally aloof telling of how she started in the business.

Binding together the scenes and appearing as somewhat of a poetic prophet is Victor Raidee-Wexler as Mr. White. Raidee-Wexler’s artfully crafted monologues at the opening and between scenes are highlights of the show—poignant, ominous, mysterious and affective.

Thought-provoking, real, desperate, disturbing, and ultimately fascinating, Worth is definitely worth your while.

REVIEW:
Kansas City Fringe Festival
Worth
July 23–30, 2011 (Reviewed Tuesday, July 26)
City Stage, Union Station
30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit www.kcfringe.org

Top Photo: Worth playwright, Forrest Attaway. Bottom Photo: director Jay Akin.

By Kristin Shafel Omiccioli

Editorial Assignments Executive Editor; Traditional and New Classical Contributor

Kristin Shafel Omiccioli, a native of Madison, WI, holds composition degrees (M.M., B.M.) from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Kristin's compositions have been performed at national and regional new music festivals and conferences throughout the United States. During her time at UMKC, Kristin also focused on double bass performance and arts administration. She was a student leader and performer in many of the Conservatory's student organizations and ensembles, including Musica Nova, Composers' Guild, the Conservatory Student Association, the orchestras, and Wind Symphony. Her composition instructors were James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long, and Chen Yi, and her bass instructor was Sue Stubbs. Formerly a guitarist, Kristin performed with big bands and her own jazz combo in Madison, WI, having studied jazz guitar and theory with Roger Brotherhood in Madison and jazz voice and theory with Hal Melia in Kansas City at UMKC.

Kristin enjoys being active in the performing arts community. She has volunteered with the Chamber Music Society of Kansas City and Charlotte Street Foundation, and has played in the bass section of the Northland Symphony Orchestra, among other bass gigs around the metro. Kristin currently serves as principal bass for the Kansas City Civic Orchestra and Heritage Philharmonic, and is a section bassist for Kinnor Philharmonic. She joined the writing staff of KCMetropolis.org in February 2010 and has been KCM’s executive editor since July 2011. Read her blog at mylittleheartmelodies.com.

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