Hush Little Celia, Don’t Say a Word is narrated by Todd (Jacob Brode), and is mostly about his interactions with Celia (Laura Kaplan) as he goes from kindergarten to high school.

The set was simple, consisting only of black boxes which were oriented in different formations depending on the scene. The cast also wore black, using other colors and accessories only at times when they were performing in a role outside of the ensemble. The changes between scenes and costumes were fluid, thanks in part to the straightforwardness of the set.

Brode fit into the role of Todd well. He delivered all his lines well, but as he progressed through his story, it was hard to tell what age his character was supposed to be.

Kaplan also performed amazingly. Her character did not have the massive amount of lines that Brode had to deal with, but even her silence spoke to the audience throughout the show.

The 17 supporting characters, plus 14 ensemble members, filled out the large cast, each adding a stellar performance.

Hush Little Celia, Don’t Say a Word was a wonderful play with great acting. In and of itself, it was worth the ticket in the door.

To say that the second one-act, A Stye of the Eye, was typical would be far from the truth. The play started out with Jake (Joey Faust) calling his mother, Ma (Jillian M. Dion), to tell her he killed his wife. As the conversation continued, and by looking at the program, one could see that Faust also played the part of Jake’s brother, Frankie. The confusion was only beginning; next we found that Jake’s wife, Beth (Jeremy Surprise), did not die, but suffered brain damage.

Faust differentiated between the roles of Jake and Frankie by changing the accents he used. At first, the conversations Faust had with himself were, well, confusing. As the play went along, however, everything got confusing, and Faust’s conversations seemed almost simple.

Despite the perplexity of the plot to start with, the actors explained bits and pieces along the way, alleviating some of the bewilderment the audience might have been experiencing.

The plot confusion in A Stye in the Eye may have been what writer Christopher Durang was going for, but the thought involved in understanding the play didn’t seem worth it at the end.

The final play, Black Comedy, provided much-needed relief from A Stye of the Eye through its light comedy filled with funny antics rather than confusing plot lines.

The one-act started with the audience in the dark, literally. After Brindsley (Benjamin Cushing) and Carol (Margaret Drake) blew a fuse in the building, the stage lights turned on and the audience saw the cast run around in the dark. At other times, when cast members use candles or lighters, the stage lights dim to continue the effect. Together, the lighting effects are opposite of what one might normally see during a blackout.

The set of Black Comedy was by far the most comprehensive of all the one-acts, and included two sets furniture, a set of stairs, and a very nice statue of Buddha, and not to mention various other knick-knacks available for the cast members to walk into.

Each actor in the eight-member cast put forth a commanding performance. In particular, both John Pettengill and Brad Lamoureux were strong in their respective roles as Harold and the Colonel.

Black Comedy was an excellent one-act, both in the acting and in the set design. It is definitely a show worth seeing.