Busted

Warehouse, 1019 7th St. NW

Remaining Performances:
Saturday, July 8, at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, July 14, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 17, at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, July 20, at 10:15 p.m.
Wednesday, July 21, at 6 p.m.

They say: In spite of divorce, kids, job hunting, internet social media sites, and other modern age distractions, Joan struggles for her artistic self-expression. When procrastination threatens her creativity, sanity, and maybe her script, Joan’s life takes a sudden, comic twist.

Erin’s Take: Wow, that was a long 65 minutes. When the play opens we see our protagonist, Joan, getting laid off. She’s always had literary aspirations, so she decides to take her month’s severance and write a play. It’s slow going, primarily because she’s an incurable procrastinator. About half way into the show, she’s visited by Sprite—one of the nine Muses from Greek mythology—who’s sent to her to provide encouragement and inspiration.

That’s the essence of the play, and it should remain that simple. But playwright Betsy Marks Delaney decides to bog down the production with superfluous storylines, like Joan’s divorce and custody woes, and her job search. They both feel forced and pull focus from the main plot. Rachel Duda does a serviceable job as Joan, conveying the appropriate amount of neuroticism and lack of direction. Jessie Dulaney excells as Sprite: She’s insufferably upbeat, but that’s exactly what the part calls for.

There are a few amusing moments—the telemarketer mouthing “fucking whore” following a rude phone exchange with Joan,  Sprite enthusiastically singing along to a Broadway show tune on her iPod, the ensemble conveying Facebook updates while holding avatars in front of their faces. But when Sprite breaks down the fourth wall and encourages Joan to ask the audience if we like her work, my response would have been, “Not so much.”

See it if: You’re a Pippin fan and want to see an amusing rendition of ‘Corner of the Sky.’

Skip it if: You think self-absorbed aspiring playwrights are a dime a dozen.