See The Receptionist at CoHo Productions

Last night I was at CoHo Productions in North West Portland. I was there for the opening of Adam Bock's Obie Award winning play, The Receptionist. Director Rose Riordan, the associate artistic director at Portland Center Stage (PCS), also directed Bock's play The Thugs at PCS last year. A production that she earned a Drammy Award for. Two of the actors from The Thugs appeared again in The Receptionist; Actor and co-producer, Laura Faye Smith, and actor, Sharonlee McLean both gave lovely performances last night. The two other actors appearing in the show were Chris Murray and Gary Norman.
Having seen, and loved The Thugs, I came into The Receptionist with great expectations. I was not disappointed. Bock has a talent for dialogue that rings very true to life, and coupled with Riordan's gift for shaping realistic theatre, both these plays were like looking into real life. The office environment Bock chooses, complete with stifling gray carpets and the bubble of coffee pots, always gives me the impression that I am looking at the human beings onstage like fish in a tank. The characters operate without regard to audience, theater, or stage. They go about their daily business hinting at their personal quirks and striving simply to lead their lives. Bock's humor is not necessarily born out of the oddness of the characters themselves, but seems to arise from the way each of these well developed characters reacts to one another's actions.
It is obvious from watching this production that cast and director alike have a wonderful understanding of the immense humor and also the chilling qualities of The Receptionist. The audience certainly had a fantastic time. Sometimes we were laughing, out loud, riotously, other times we were almost petrified, all of our eyes intently watching the characters. My friend Theresa Hernandez who co-stared with me in Portland Theatre Works' InsomniACTS was working in the lobby of the theater while the show was going on. She told me afterword that it was as though she was listening to a laugh track on a television show, the audience was so vocal.

Go see this show! I can't stress that enough. Really, it's great. For more information visit http://www.cohoproductions.org/ or call them at 503-220-2646.