OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW
MISS ABIGAIL'S GUIDE TO DATING, MATING, & MARRIAGE REVIEW
Reviewed by Sasha Pensanti
Published 2010-10-26
Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage is the brain child
of off-Broadway guru Ken Davenport and ...Spelling Bee's Sarah Saltzberg. This 90
minute, interactive, off-Broadway show chronicles the journey of love-counselor
Miss A and her faithful assistant Paco. The two have traveled all the way from
Bethesda Maryland to teach New York City a thing or two about the many aspects
of love.
Miss Abigail is a widow who felt so bad for "Crennifer Craniston"
when her marriage to an unnamed celebrity ended due to that woman who's name
rhymes with Shmangelina that she knew she had to help! She reached into her
handy bag of tricks and came out with a lot of very helpful tips. These tips
include: how to flirt, how to get that special someone to kiss you, and yes,
even sex. With the help of a book her grandmother gave her as a teenager, along
with some others (that were all written at least 4 decades ago, often more)
that she's found along the way, Miss Abigail answers questions and gives advice
to those of us who are desperately looking for love. Could we just be looking
in all the wrong places?
A perfect blend of just enough audience participation and little "helpful
hint" cards that Paco passes out through the show help to propel this
already entertaining two person show. The sometimes politically incorrect jokes
had the audience cheering for more. Lessons on how to flirt may have started a
minor uproar (in a good way) and Paco's video presentation on sex was
absolutely hilarious.
The two performers, Eve Plumb, best known for playing "Jan" on The Brady Bunch
and Manuel Herrera of West Side Story have a great dynamic going. They
play their roles to a T, never wavering in their portrayal of the characters
the audience immediately loved.
The only two downsides to the night were minimal. First, the sound. There
seemed to be an issue as a portion of the show was too quiet to hear (even when
the audience wasn't roaring with laughter). The speakers didn't seem to even be
facing the back of the audience. The second problem was the seating. The chairs
were adorable, but there were no levels, and thus, when Miss Abigail sat on her
couch, many of us couldn't see more than the top of her head. However, as
problems go, these are easily fixable.
Overall, the show was adorable. That's really the best way to put it. It was
endearing and sweet. I know I wasn't the only one who thought it was super
funny, because everyone around me was cheering and laughing through almost the
entire show. A lot of us went in expecting to have a pretty good time, but we
had no idea how good it would be. It's the perfect, light hearted way to end
your day.
Without giving away too much, let's just say Miss Abigail learns a lesson
or two of her own, and they're all good!
Click here to buy tickets.
Click here to buy group tickets.
