“All in the Timing” premieres at Farmers Alley

By Heather Ewer
Western Herald

Comedy lovers seeking entertainment this weekend should look no further than downtown Kalamazoo. Beginning March 12, Farmers Alley Theatre is presenting “All in the Timing,” a collection of six one-act comedies.

“It’s like a smart Saturday Night Live,” said Adam Weiner, executive director of Farmers Alley Theatre.

According to Weiner, the six sketches deal with love, intimate relationships and the infinite possibilities found in life in general.

“They are the ‘should of, would of, could of’s’ of life,” he said.

One of the sketches is called “Words, Words, Words.” It follows three chimpanzees as they attempt to re-create “Hamlet” with typewriters.

Samantha Galvin, a junior musical theatre performance major at WMU, plays Kafka, one of the chimpanzees.

Galvin says it’s a chance to play a role she would not normally have the opportunity to play.

“I get to let loose and go a little crazy,” Galvin said.

David Ives wrote the six sketches and premiered them all across the U.S. between 1988 and 1993. The one-acts were published as a collection in 1994. It debuted off-Broadway in that same year, and won Ives the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for Playwriting.

“Ives is very focused on the possibilities,” Weiner said.

Another sketch is called “Sure Thing.”

“It is about a guy who walks into a café to pick up a girl,” Weiner said.

When the guy says something wrong, a bell dings and the scene rewinds until he gets it right. Only then can the conversation move forward.

Galvin also plays Becky, the girl from “Sure Thing.”

“It’s very witty,” Galvin said. “The timing is impeccable.”

The rest of the cast includes Nancy Stefanick, Brian Panse, WMU student Tori Blade, WMU alumnus Brian Wilson and WMU grad student Trevor Stefanick. The seven actors play a total of 19 roles throughout the evening.

Adam Weiner directed the show with his brother Robert Weiner as a collaborative effort.

Adam first directed “All in the Timing” when he was a student at the University of Michigan. Robert acted in the show at the Interlochen Arts Academy as a high school student.

“Students would love it,” Adam said. “It’s a good time.”

“I think they will like the variety and the outrageousness of it,” Galvin said.

The other four sketches are entitled “The Universal Language,” “English Made Simple,” “The Philadelphia,” and “Variations on the Death of Trotsky.”

“All In The Timing” will premiere at the Farmers Alley Theatre on Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m., and will run on weekends through Sunday, March 28. Sunday performances are matinees, starting at 2 p.m.

$10 student rush tickets are offered one hour prior to show time. General admission is $22 for adults and $20 for seniors/students. Tickets may be purchased by calling Farmers Alley Theatre at 269-343-272.

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