Review: WET’s “Babs the Dodo” is ten years too late and a laugh or two short.

Review: Babs the Dodo by Michael Mitnick. Directed by Elise Hunt. With Marty Mukhalian, Hannah Victoria Franklin, John Abramson, Charles Norris. Now through March 14 at Washington Ensemble Theatre.

L to R: Hannah Victoria Franklin, Marty Mukhalian and John Abramson in Washington Ensemble Theatre's "Babs the Dodo". Photo: Laurie Clark.

Birds gotta fly and fish gotta swim but Dodos are flightless birds and like those extinct denizens of Mauritius, Washington Ensemble Theatre’s current production of the new play Babs the Dodo never really gets off the ground. It has clever performances from a talented cast, an amusing puzzlebox of a set and assured, confident direction by actress Elise Hunt, but the play itself, by Michael Mitnick, is a vague and lazy satire of Home Shopping Networks, age discrimination, office politics and consumerism. It has funny moments and the actors make the most of them, but it’s frequently a forced and obvious kind of humor. And, this play is about 10 to 15 years too late…Home Shopping TV as a subject of satire, is about as topical as a Pia Zadora joke. If you have to think hard to remember who Ms Zadora was, then I’ve made my point…

But, I did enjoy the relationships between the four characters, and the central character of Babs Gillespie, excellently played by Marty Mukhalian, a 50 year old Home Shopping host dealing with personal loneliness and age discrimination, is an interesting and compelling one, but the rather forced metaphor, (She wants to “spread her wings and fly” but she is a extinct, flightless dodo) is too obvious and twee. And, the playwright is so intent on providing us with “funny” bits of parody, that it overshadows the development of Babs and the other characters. John Abramson as another TV host was very good playing the larger than life character and one of his bits about his character selling his TV audience a pencil was quite funny for a minute or two, but the bit went on and on and on, belaboring the point and weakening the humor. A very talented actor and natural comedian, Mr Abramson “sold” the bit but I would have traded that moment for more interesting development of all the other characters in the play.

And, Hannah Victoria Franklin’s monster-lady Home Shopping boss was definitely a character I needed to see more of…her “Jocelyn Nob”, (my new favorite character name) is a statuesque, driven, sneering mass of hormones and ambition whether she’s giving her employees ultimatums or attempting a sexual seduction. Ms Franklin is a big, bold, exciting actor and she plays the hell out of the part but the character is so vibrant, it almost overwhelms the rest of the play and the other characters. It’s almost a case of wishing that “Babs the Dodo” was called, “Jocelyn the Sea Hawk”. But, that’s not good playwriting, is it?

Two more to mention: Charles Norris was charming as a nerdy, and much younger ornithologist exploring a relationship with Babs. The two actors had lovely chemistry together. And, Jessica Trudy’s stacked box/panel doored set was clever and helped tie the various elements of the play together, from the TV set scenes, to scenes set in fern bars and forest habitats. It’s the usual excellent design we expect of WET.

A disappointment, based on the material, not the execution, I can’t recommend Babs the Dodo as a must see production, but it does have its moments and fine performances from the cast. Most WET fans will find something to enjoy.