Link Theatre has chosen an odd name for, as they put it, "three short plays [dealing] with the precarious balance of society and its institutions." This is a stretch; the plays are instead three unrelated one-acts that showcase the talents of their group. Of course there's nothing wrong with that beyond misleading marketing.
Open Meeting is an interesting curiosity if, for no other reason, than because it confirms that A.R. Gurney, the great chronicler of the eastern seaboard W.A.S.P., has a gift for writing the absurd. Three people come into their weekly meeting debating whether to continue efforts to bring about sociopolitical change without the leadership of their Washington liaison, who has failed to show. He has instead sent a note to his trusted cohort, penned in his "ungenerous pinched handwriting," suggesting they abort the meeting. Later, rifling through his abandoned briefcase, the others find a file marked, "Plans to turn America into an oligarchy." Directed by Iris Blair, this is a refreshingly nonsensical work of intellectual fluff, fun from the get-go, but played too frenetically for The-atre/Theater's tiny Theatre B. Stephanie Geyer and Steve Altman work far too hard, yet Chris Carrier, as the youthful idealist of the trio, could give them a lesson that moderation is best. His work stands out head and shoulders above the others, with a sweet delivery that remains focused and less overdone even when he flies off the handle.
Ara Watson's Final Placement is a touching piece about a social worker's confrontation with the mother of a child removed into foster care, sincerely directed by Zev Berman. It is nicely acted by Susan M. Baker, haunting as the lost soul of a mother; the clarity and earnestness of Elizabeth Varela's performance as the social worker is somewhat done in by the use of a terrible Southern accent. This is followed by a monologue from Arthur Kopit's End of the World performed by Michael O'Rourke during a set change, which would be more powerful—even chilling—if he also stayed simpler and less overwrought in his choices.
The final piece is Eric Sanders' The Heliopause, an arresting and heartbreaking confrontation between a Tutsi woman and the lifelong Hutu neighbor who murdered her family while emotionally fueled by the 1994 ethnic sweep of Rwanda. Strikingly directed by Paul Goldberg, Malcolm Foster Smith and Judy Theadora Marcelline give indelible, wrenching performances in the roles, closing the evening impressively. This oddly poetic little play and particularly the resplendent work of Marcelline—as well Carrier's work—prove to be the most successful and memorable aspects of The Clap.
"The Clap: Three Short Plays About Social Disease," presented by the Link Theatre Foundation at Theatre/Theater, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Mon.-Tue. 8 p.m. Mar. 15-Apr. 6. $12. (323) 954-1188.