Theater Review: "Love/Sick" by Amity Creative Theater

Review by Nancy Sasso Janis

The students of Amity Creative Theater are presenting a production of the comedy “Love/Sick,” a play written by John Cariani. There is one remaining performance on Dec. 8.

Amity High School theater teacher Rob Kennedy both directed and produced the show. The production was made possible by a generous grant from Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation.

“Love/Sick” is a collection of vignettes that explore the trials of being in love, out of love, getting together and breaking up, being married and getting divorced. The rhythm of the scenes is reminiscent of Cariani’s quirky play “Almost, Maine.” A red and white Superstore with a target (with Cupid's arrow in the bullseye) for their logo is the concept that ties together all of the nine scenes. This store comes to life during the active and highly choreographed and well-lit scene changes executed by the cast.

The scenes are named by the playwright to tease the theme, most of which make even more sense after the scene plays out. All of the student actors brought their characters to life very well, making for an enjoyable evening of theater.

“Obsessive Impulsive” features a man (played by Finn McDaniel) and a woman (portrayed by Zoe Benton) who “meet cute” while shopping at a Superstore. The two discover that they both suffer from the same strange condition. The best part of this rapid-fire paced scene is that the two deliver a host of lines at the same time.

“The Singing Telegram” has Anthony Stankye as The Singing Telegram Man and Milki Ejara as the recipient Louise Overbee. Gavin Sassenger and Jacob Ebert play Ben and Andy respectively, gay men at the beginning of their relationship, in “What?!!”

Finn McDaniel returns to play Keith with Ava Copeland as Celia in “The Answer,” which takes place in a restroom immediately before a wedding ceremony.

In “Uh-Oh,” Lilli Parady is Sarah and Anthony Stankye returns as Bill in a quirky scene about a married couple trying to “find the fun.” Gavin Sassenger returns to play Jason with Kayleigh Fitzpatrick as Maddie in a story of a married couple called “Chicken.”

“Forgot” (to have a baby) features Ayira Daley as Jill and Ian Rosenay as Kevin. Ellen Ko and Grace Kennedy play Abbie and Liz respectively, a lesbian couple with children, in “Where Was I?”

The final scene is “Destiny,” with Jacob Ebert as Jake and Emily as Kasey as exes who meet in the Superstore.

Tori Pocwierz is credited as The Superstore Manager.

Kennedy also designed the set, constructed by CTE Construction and Theater 3 students. The set is backed by the depiction of the interior of a Superstore, with the set pieces for the various scenes delivered by members of the cast and crew between the nine scenes. The tempo of the scene changes was ever changing and fun to watch. I looked forward to seeing what each scene change would bring.

Julie Chevan, assisted by Sophie Bernfeld, designed the contemporary costumes for the characters in each scene, as well as the Superstore uniforms of red shirts and white pants (think Target.)

Katie Copeland and Sarah Ginsberg collected a wide variety of props, including several shopping carts for in and between the scenes. Dan Hassenmayer returns as the capable lighting designer, while Kennedy was in charge of sound design. Andrea Kennedy provided the hair and makeup design.

“Love/Sick” is presented without an intermission and runs about 84 minutes. The final performance will be presented in the auditorium at Amity Regional High School. For tickets: https://myemail.constantcontac...

Save the dates for “Mean Girls High School Version,” April 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13, 2024. I can’t wait!

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the CCC Facebook page.