Three Tables is a play written and directed by celebrated playwright Murray Mednick, who has been writing for theatre for the last sixty years.
The play shows two waiters, Sol (Richard Sabine) and Joe (John Fantasia) occupying a table while attending to the other two tables. The conversation between Sol and Joe reveals their concerns of another hate wave and the search of an explanation of Jewish history and beliefs, as they seem to be descendants of Holocaust survivors.
In the other table three actors are conversing about a play they are rehearsing. There is a tension conversation between Rodger (Michael Uribes, Theatre Review: Detained) and Christen (Laura Liguori). The other actor sitting with them is Mike (Corey Rieger), who suggests to imagine a well and use it as a concept for the play they are rehearsing. Rodger shows some vulnerabilities such as having an uncontrollable nervousness that disappears once he is on stage. Christen shows a tendency to express her sexuality publicly much to Rodger’s discomfort.
Three other actors Don (Dennis Renard), Casey (Eric Stanton Betts), and Margie (Raquel Cain) show up and seat on the other table where they seem to comment on a play they are rehearsing. At one point, Margie moves in coordination with Christen’s movements.
The actors deliver lines that express deep concepts related to love, sex, fears, history, and the meaning of life. Since Murray Mednick is a poet, his writing style is very lyrical, it’s a poem, a very powerful one. Poets use emotions, sensitivity, and imagination to write about history, values, ideas, but also to protect life against threats and stand up to dictators. In Three Tables, Mednick references history, in this case the Holocaust, to imply that the danger is not over, it is still there, lingering in the shadows. The sound design and original music by John Zalewski is excellent in conveying the latent sense of danger. The constant sound in the background that is heard throughout the play builds up the tension. The noises of riots and the knock on the door, all announce trouble. The lighting design by Azra King-Abadi Theatre Review: TEA combines intensities and colors to add a dynamic element to the message of the play.
Three Tables is a dramatic combination of words, lighting, colors, sound, and music that turn the stage into a poetic space in the form of theatre.
Three Tables
Written and Directed by Murray Mednick, produced by Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners, presented by Padua Playwrights
Zephyr Theatre
7456 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Performances: April 23 – May 22:
Fridays at 8 p.m.: April 22 (Preview), April 29, May 6, May 13, May 20
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: April 23 (Opening Night), April 30, May 7, May 14, May 21
Sundays at 3 p.m.: April 24, May 1, May 8, May 15, May 22
Tickets: https://www.onstage411.com/newsite/show/play_info.asp?show_id=6177
