Emily Cohen is a genuinely funny woman both as a writer and a performer. Unfortunately the format of Interviews With undercuts her opportunity to fully demonstrate those skills.
A topic is announced (e.g., “People Who Instagram Food”) followed by one to five short comedic character riffs. Usually the material is presented in consecutive short monologues of two to ten sentences.
The material evokes many smiles even if it is rarely laugh out loud funny. The comedy has some clever observations and shows affection for the mostly mundane characters (tollbooth operators, librarians, crossing guards, teamsters, etc.). The show does not seek to explore really edgy comedy even though a few topics would seem to offer the opportunity (e.g., “Siblings of Dictators”).
Yet presenting over 60 characters in 45 minutes makes it hard for the four performers to reap the comedic benefits of fuller characterizations. Switching among over two dozen setups also makes it hard to develop themes.
Interviews with …
by Emily Cohen and Daniel Gutstein
Directed by Brett Steven Abelman and Emily Cohen
Composer: Rogue Collective
Details and tickets
While Emily Cohen is the funniest of the performers, she is ably assisted by company members Rajan Kapoor, Beth Krause, and Patrick Slevin. Slevin in particular provides strong comedic energy.
The show is enhanced with improvisational classical string music from Rogue Collective before and during the show as well as providing two short musical interlude breaks. Directors Brett Steven Abelman and Emily Cohen look for and find inventive ways to vary the stage presentation.
One set of comedic segments near the end demonstrates Emily Cohen’s comic potential. She did all four short monologues as a “Millenial Activist” (along with an audience member drafted to join her on stage). An interesting and funny character started to emerge, one that deserved more time and development.
This reviewer looks forward to more work from the cast, all of whom are making their Fringe debuts.
[Note: Brett Steven Abelman writes for DC Theatre Scene. This did not affect the review.]
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