"Soap Bubble, Breeder’s Theater at the Renton Civic Theatre" 

Friday 8 November 2002

by Joe Boling

This is a pleasant piece of fluff that will probably only stick with you for the life of a soap bubble, but, like the iridescent reflections off of a bubble, there is sparkle in the show. It’s a send-up of the daytime soaps, with witty lines, screwy commercials, and an off-set component of the story line to provide counterpoint to the antics of the soap opera scenes.

I won’t try to describe the action within the soap; suffice to say that we get all the convoluted elements of inbred relatives, corporate catfights, ex-wife backstabbing, medical crises, and, most importantly, story line inconsistencies. A dedicated viewer, after complaining to a girlfriend about the 9-year-old son who grows into a corporate VP in a couple of months, and the character who went upstairs last year and never came back down, writes a letter to the network and is suddenly inserted into the production process to bring “the viewer’s” thoughts into play. When the actors sense that their cash cow may be irreparably harmed by this meddling, they band together to find a fix.

The piece was written and directed by T M Sell, a polisci/journalism prof from Highline Community College. His work is usually seen at the E.B. Foote Winery in Burien, but has also appeared on several other stages in the area.

The acting is excellent. From the opening scene it is clear that we are watching a soap opera, as the players put on that tiny element of over-the-top playing combined with finish-this-scene-and-get-on-with-the-next lack of investment. When we finally break out of the soap and see “the viewer” complaining to her friend about the inconsistencies in the story, it’s a night-and-day contrast. But the story-within-the-story scenes are not hokey; we really are interested in seeing what bizarre twist the writers will introduce in the next episode.

The commercials are a hoot, marred only by the poor playback of the voiceovers that accompany them (punch lines are lost in audience laughter because the sound system is muffled and muddy). Hopefully that will be tweaked, now that they know where the laughter is wiping out the lines (tonight was opening night).

There is a cast of thirteen in this show, and the quality of the performances is remarkably even (and good)—it’s difficult to select any stand-outs, so I won’t try.

It’s a short run, just three more performances. Closes 16 November. There is a dinner option; for double the price of the show (total $30), you can eat at the JapanThai Restaurant next door. There are about twenty entrees available, plus soup, appetizer, and tea. Dessert, additional beverages, and gratuity are extra. My dinner was OK, but it’s not the Liberty Deli.