What do you do when you’ve got relationship problems? Many people would go to Dr. Phil. If your love life has gone REALLY sour then you’d probably end on up the Jerry Springer show. But Vincent - the lead character in “The 13th of Paris”, a new modern-day romantic comedy which had its world premiere this week at the City Theatre on Pittsburgh’s South Side, takes a different approach. He takes off for an apartment he’s inherited in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.
And that’s where the story - and the laughs - begin. This is a one-set 90-minute play with a cast of six and no intermission. Director Melia Bensussen sets the mood perfectly with dark lighting and French accordion music playing throughout the transitions. During his “getaway” in Paris, Vincent (played by Matthew Dellapina), is visited by Jacques (Ed Genest), the ghost of his grandfather, who is hilarious and provides many of the play’s funniest lines. You see, Jacques is from the “old school” of romance, and when he tries to instruct his grandson (who’s much more influenced by the manners of modern couples) as to the proper way to court a woman, he discovers he’s got his work cut out .
The stand-out performer here is Theo Allyn, who plays Vincent’s girlfriend Annie. Vincent becomes frustrated because he and Annie have some major communication problems. They never have a meaningful conversation, even during a two-hour dinner together. Vincent also becomes frustrated at the fact that Annie never appears to get angry with him, even when he’s at his most obnoxious. Allyn plays Annie with the perfect combination of subtle humor and outright wackiness. She’s makes Annie the one character in the play who seems real.
A subplot involving the arrival of Annie’s friend Jessica (Jenny Wales) and her new husband William (Gregory Johnstone) provides a few laughs, but ultimately drags the story down. The story, penned by Mat Smart, is much more interesting when the focus is on Vincent, and whether he’ll be able to find the love he imagines is possible.
If you do go see “The 13th Of Paris”, make sure you bring a date. It’s better than watching Dr. Phil.
(Runs thru Feb. 17, 2008).
A look at the newly renovated Frank G. Pogue Student Center at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in video courtsy of www.goerie.com and www.erietube.com
U Report Video Sent To US From Erie, Also listed On Erie Tube Also listed on www.goerie.com
A driver lost control of her car on an icy hill and rolled it into Mill Creek in the 5200 block of Lake Pleasant Road in Millcreek Township on Jan. 30. Firefighters from Millcreek, Belle Valley and Erie as well as Millcreek police responded, and it took over 30 minutes for rescuers to free her. Video by JACK HANRAHAN/Erie Times-News
Steris Corp.’s the Mentor, Ohio-based company said that it’s revising its second-half expectations downward as a result of lower-than-expected productivity at its Guadalupe, Mexico, plant. The plant makes steam steralizers, and had made them until 2007 in Erie PA. Looking to cut payroll, the plant moved jobs to the current facility in Guadalupe. The same fate met Warner Ladder of Suger Grove Township, and Trinity Industries of Greenville, where reworked production cost, shotty labor, poor worker knowledge, and low productivity cost all three companies money in the long run.About 450 local jobs were lost in a move that was expected to save the company about $20 million a year in wages and benefits. combination of strong demand and slower productivity has helped the company build a record order backlog of $107.3 million, an increase of 22 percent from the previous year. However, the backlog would be lower in the us, as American workers completed more units in a timely fashion, which in turn would of improved the top line. The copany also sites higher material costs as part of the problem
The company’s third-quarter revenues rose 5 percent to $314 million compared to the third quarter of the previous year. Net income for the quarter was $21.8 million, compared to $21.3 million for the previous year.Steris, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, closed the day Wednesday at $24.66, up $1.18.
A former student at Penn State Behrend was sentenced to six months to a year in the Erie County Prison today for possessing 21 computer files depicting children being raped or sexually abused.Police said Jonathan Demerecz, 24, had the images on his computer in his off-campus apartment in 2006.Erie County Judge Shad Connelly, who sentenced Demerecz, also ordered him to serve five years of probation and to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
