Near the close of ‘Funny Guy’, the eponymous neon marionette “funny guy” announces the end of “this little morality play.” That’s one way I’d describe this hour long exploration of two intertwined modern couples with marriage and career problems. I might also use the word moralising. With conflict revealed so plainly in dialogue and acting so imprecise, the characters and their problems are entirely too explicit and unnatural. The play’s thematic interest in personalities that obscure deeper emotional truths is emblematised by the aforementioned marionette who even, in the end, feels the need to explain his presence and what he is meant to represent. Certainly, the play’s thinking regarding outward appearances is interesting, but its presentation is much too didactic. 

Greenside, until 24 Aug. 
tw rating 1/5 | [Ben Flaumenhaft]