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Culture Stage

Fringe Review: Overtime

OVERTIME

Robert Gill Theatre

See show info here

Rating: NN


Overtime is an apt name for this drawn-out 90-minute play about Carla (Elva Mai Hoover), a bitter writing teacher forced into retirement due to Multiple Sclerosis now living with her ex-student Darby (Timothy Eckmier) who takes care of her in exchange for creative mentorship. The convoluted plot also incorporates Linus (Tufford Kennedy) and Jewell (Andrea Brown), a father and daughter whose lives intersect with Carla’s in an intriguing way.

Romeo Ciolfi’s play introduces some thought-provoking takes on aging, illness and the complexity of family relationships, but it skims the surface of too many issues, and much of the dialogue sounds unnatural.

The women’s performances outshine the men’s, with Brown making the strongest emotional connections to the other characters and Hoover evoking the pain of Carla’s unresolved regrets, especially during a monologue near the end of the show.

Despite a memorable final moment, opening night included too many flubbed lines, slow pacing and clunky set changes.

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