Review: When the Messenger is Hot

Theater Schmeater's production of When the Messenger is Hot is a very enjoyable bit of theatre. It is one of the funniest performances I have seen. The humorous insights come from the three faces of Josie. The main character is played by three different people (Marty Mukhalian, Teri Lazzara, and Julie Jamieson). They are all on stage at the same time. As the show progresses, they each take turns being the "real" Josie and playing the part of the voice of her own consciousness. This trick is pulled off superbly, leading to an effective depiction of a character's inner thoughts without resorting to soliloquy.

The 3-actors-one-character idea is balanced by Frank Lawler, who humorously portrays all of the male characters in the production, including all of Josie's different boyfriends.

In some ways the basic outline of the play is nothing special (it deals with dealing with the death of a parent), but the production moves beyond that making this a fun, enjoyable, and worthwhile piece of theatre.