California playwright Jacqueline Goldfinger's play The Terrible Girls has all the smokiness of a Southern Gothic drama but none of the heat.
Taking place in a Southern café, the play shadows three women who share a secret. The hypersexual Gretch (Rhianna Basore) has a brief affair with a local deaf man (Mark Emerson). When he discovers a hidden skull behind the wall, she kills him. The café's manager, Birdie (Amanda Sitton), and Minnie the cook (Keiana Richárd) help dispose of the body. Later, Birdie and Gretch compete for the affections of the absentee owner, which leads to further complications and a violent ending.
This is the play's second production but the first in New York. With muddy direction by Chelsea D. Whitmore and distracted performances by all four actors, the play fails to generate any dramatic tension or humor. The piece simply muddles along in a haze of variable Southern accents and posturing. The only bright note is Robinella's slithering slide-guitar score, which makes a strange counterpoint to the lack of action on stage.
Presented by Ziseleh Productions as part of the New York International Fringe Festival
at the New School for Drama, 151 Bank St., NYC.
Aug. 11-25. Remaining performances: Sat., Aug. 18, 7 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 24, 4:45 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 25, noon.
(212) 279-4488 or (888) 374-6436 or www.fringenyc.org.