Frontiers Magazine
Weight on the Roof
Court Theatre
Through Aug. 10
800/595-4849
Despite the hokey title, "Weight on the Roof" isn't a loopy parody of the famous musical about a czarist Russian
milkman gyrating his way through "If I Were a Rich Man." It's a superior entry in this year's onslaught of one-person
shows. Eric Houston's script feels more like a genuine play than the typical extended monologue. And the vibrant
Audrey Wasilewski is a charmer, making the two-hour-plus show entertaining. Structured as three "acts" spanning 11
years, the story charts the struggle of Adele, a Brooklyn waitress, rising from the legacy of an abusive upbringing and
a disastrous marriage. Wasilewski elicits poignancy and sharp humor in her portrayal of this down-but-not-out waif, a
kindred spirit to Valerie Harper's Rhoda. Her struggles to overcome the ill effects of indulging in too many Ding-Dongs
and being constantly belittled by her father lead her to a teenage marriage to a bona fide jerk, who meets an early
demise with his pants down while in the company of a prostitute. There are hints that both her husband and father
fooled around with men on the side, and her closest male companion is a gay guy who dresses like Madonna. She
faces challenges in upgrading her job, has affairs with a phone repairman and a co-worker, and goes through other
obstacles in her journey to self-esteem and happiness. Director Gerry Cohen deftly supports Wasilewski's efforts, and
the milieu is enhanced both by Ray Klausen's wonderful rooftop set and Rick Ziegler's atmospheric sound effects. All
in all, this is a refreshing summertime tonic.
--Les Spindle
IN MAGAZINE, LA, VOL. 6, ISSUE 11 – JULY 15-28, 2003
By Greg Owen
Meet Adele Scabaglio, 30 pounds overweight and a rube on the roof of her new Manhattan apartment. “Hello, New
Yawk! How ya doin’?” she shouts to no one in particular. “Shut up!” comes a neighbor’s New York-minute response.
It’s an exquisitely awkward moment, and as Adele, topped with Working Girl hair and a dress that screams discount,
Audrey Wasilewski captures the transition from naive exuberance to outer-borough embarrassment perfectly.
Welcome to the city.
Adele’s not a mess exactly, but she’s certainly a fish out of the East River as she loosens the Brooklyn bonds that
bind her to a jerk husband and an abusive father and travels down the road of self-discovery. Adele suffers from a
serious case of self-doubt, but it’s leavened by an endearing quality of self-awareness; she knows she’s a shlub, but
she’s not shy about sharing it – or her weakness for Hostess treats and endless hours in front of the TV watching
movies. In fact, it’s that conceit in the script that provides a touchstone for Adele, and plot points for the story, as she
references film classics from Bette Davis in Marked Woman (“She can’t wreck the place”) to Dolores Claiborne
(“Sometimes, Dolores, an accident is a woman’s best friend”). For Adele, it’s better living through Turner Classic
Movies. For Wasilewski, in three acts spanning 11 years in a funny, wise, and poignant script by Eric Houston, it’s a
chance to display an awesome talent that brings tears as easily as laughter.
From a low point flipping burgers at the King, Adele’s luck begins to change with the help of a gay neighbor who
becomes something of an, um, fairy godfather (Adele’s recollection of finding him on the stairs Halloween night, stood-
up and sobbing and dressed as the Virgin Mary, is hilarious. “I knew it was a sign!” she declares.) With his help she
lands a job in the restaurant at The Royalton (the place she can’t wreck, but nearly does) and is introduced to a
galaxy of the rich, famous, and smug (including Anna Wintour, who likes her burgers black and blue. As Adele muses,
“If you’re a cow in an open field, watch out for her.”) Adele has the good fortune to trail Trish, a beauty with tits too
big to model and a tableside manner that has the suits drooling. “We don’t serve my boyfriend’s penis, so I’d
recommend the Porterhouse,” she deadpans. In the fine production directed by Gerry Cohen, learning to say what’s
on you mind works every time – and earns a very big tip.
CULVER CITY NEWS REVIEW
Weight on the Roof
Through August 10
Tickets $20, $25
Thur, Fri, Sat. 8 pm, Sun. 3 pm
Court Theatre
722 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood
Tickets: 800-595-4849, www.tix.com
By Mary Templeton
There are dangers with a one-person play. To be successful, the actor has to be quite engaging to hold the
audience's attention for the entire time. The play has to be pretty interesting since it consists of one talking head,
with little chance of much action happening onstage, and no direct interaction with other characters.
Weight on the Roof fulfills these requirements nicely. The world premiere of Weight has been extended through
August 10 at the Court Theatre in West Hollywood. It is the story of a young working-class woman as she makes her
way in the world and stops to tell the audience about it three times during the course of an eleven-year period in her
life.
Audrey Wasilewski's performance as Adele Scabaglio is just right. Her character is remarkable because she is so
ordinary. There is a tremendous amount with which to identify for anyone who has ever been afraid on the job,
unsure and unsuccessful in relationships, at odds with their family. And if someone can't identify, it doesn't matter all
that much because, as written by Eric Houston and directed by Gerry Cohen, the lines and Ms. Wasilewski's delivery
are so very funny.
Ms. Wasilewski reveals the details of Adele's life in a manner reminiscent of great storytellers of the past. She does
all the voices of the people in her life, she tells long, complicated anecdotes with just the right pacing, and she
accomplishes these while staying believable as a regular person, never going over the top to make a point.
Adele first appears on the roof of her rent-controlled Manhattan apartment building as she is moving in with her
husband of almost a year, "the biggest jerk in high school." She wears a print housedress and an unfashionable
sweater. Six years later she comes up on the roof to wait until it is time to go to her "first decent paying job." Her hair
is up and she is dressed for work in black slacks and white blouse. At the end of the play her frizzy hair is
straightened and she is drinking bottled water, ready to move on.
There is a lot to like in this young woman who struggles to eat celery instead of Ding Dongs, who interprets life in the
context of movies she has seen and whose highest ambition is to wait tables inside the hotel restaurant instead of just
the lobby. She also has a fierce desire to become a good role model for her daughter, and her experiences along the
way give people a chance to laugh a lot with her, and cry a little, too.
http://warrenbriefs.ucsd.edu/?show=46
Weight on the Roof reading takes audience to new heights
by Mandy Helton
It is no simple task to take the story of one woman, told by one woman, and bring out an entire colorful cast.
In the soon-to-be Broadway play “Weight on the Roof,” actress Audrey Wasilewski performs the role of Adele, a self-
conscious movie buff trying to make her place in the world.
A makeshift stage and spotlight set the scene for the Jan. 8 reading in York Hall, sponsored by the Warren College
Honors program. After the performance, an open forum allowed audience members to express their opinions and
ask questions of the director, writer and actor.
In this ‘single-character performance,’ the audience is provided with direct interaction from only one character. Yet
as Adele tells her story, dozens of people who are part of Adele’s world are introduced, and many of them fully
develop through her colorful descriptions.
Wasilewski meets the challenge of multiple characters framed within the tales of one woman with enthusiasm. The
variety and depth of her character and the characters she depicts second-hand are the greatest strengths of her
performance.
At times it seems there are too many characters, too many objectives, and too many personalities to be utilized by
one performer, but Wasilewski’s talent and creativity keep the audience attentive and in constant laughter. Her
antics as the man-hating Nana, the flamboyantly homosexual best friend, the domineering father, the British boss
and others are both consistent and entertaining.
Wasilewski has starred in television productions such as “Seventh Heaven” and “Ally McBeal,” and received a
Dramalogue Award. She is also Dreamwork’s official voice of “E.T. The Extraterrestrial.”
Scriptwriter Eric Houston, author of “Sweet Deliverance,” and director Gerry Cohen, whose resume includes
hundreds of television shows from “The Drew Carey Show” to “Married With Children,” were also present at the
reading.
Houston should not go without credit for the success of his dialogue. The script is well-constructed and dynamic, and
the details are attended to with precision. Cohen called the play the “evolution of a person,” and the three-act
monologue does a surprisingly complete job of documenting Adele’s 15-year metamorphosis through three
contrasting visits to the rooftop of her New York apartment building.
By the end, she has truly come full circle, changing her views and her attitude and acquiring a new self-confidence.
Yet although the character changes completely, there is never so abrupt a transition that the audience is unable to
get to know Adele at the same time as they watch her grow.
The friends, foes and family that surround and shape Adele are vital to the story, although they never appear
onstage. The audience becomes invested in their stories as well as in that of the main character, because they are
given such great importance both in the script and in their depictions onstage.
One drawback to the multifaceted performance of Adele is that there are so many storylines and characters to
follow, creating a complexity that makes it certain that details will go unnoticed and aspects of the story will remain
confusing.
Each character contributes to the discovery of Adele and her identity. Each personality is a part of her personality,
and a factor in the decisions she makes. Houston created a cast of characters, Cohen discovered them, and
Wasilewski brought them to life.
“Weight on the Roof” succeeds in making a two-hour monologue a complete and intriguing performance.
BECOMING ADELE by Eric Houston
“IMPRESSIVE! RAZOR-SHARP
PERFORMANCE CONSISTENTLY
SURPRISES AND DELIGHTS!” – LA TIMES
“AUDREY WASILEWSKI COMPLETELY
MESMERIZES THE AUDIENCE FOR OVER
TWO HOURS!” – TOLUCAN TIMES
“RECOMMENDED – HEARTFELT!
ENGAGING! WITTY! TENDER! MOST
ENJOYABLE! – LA WEEKLY
“ENTERTAINING! FUNNY! SHEER JOY!” –
BACKSTAGE WEST
“CAPTIVATING! MESMERIZING!
PERFECTION! …WEIGHT ON THE ROOF IS
A SURE BET!” – BEVERLY HILLS COURIER
“TOUR DE FORCE PERFORMANCE!
WASILEWSKI IS FUNNY, INTELLIGENT, AND
ENDEARING! SHE IS A DELIGHT! –
BEVERLY HILLS OUTLOOK
“REMARKABLE! SO VERY FUNNY! HER
EXPERIENCES GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO
LAUGH A LOT, AND CRY A LITTLE, TOO!” -
CULVER CITY NEWS REVIEW
“VIBRANT! WONDERFUL! WASILEWSKI IS A
CHARMER! A REFRESHING SUMMERTIME
TONIC!” - Les Spindle, FRONTIER
MAGAZINE, August 1, 2003
“WASILEWSKI, IN A FUNNY, WISE, AND
POIGNANT SCRIPT, DISPLAYS AN
AWESOME TALENT THAT BRINGS TEARS
AS EASILY AS LAUGHTER” - Greg Owen, IN
MAGAZINE, Vol. 6, Issue 11 – July 15-28, 2003
http://www.thebeverlyhillscourier.com/
Beverly Hills Courier 7/4/03
“Weight on the Roof” Lightens Our Lives
________________________________________
By: Norma Zager – Editor
Despite its title, “Weight on the Roof,” now playing at the Court
Theatre on La Cienega, is oftentimes a light and breezy look inside
of ourselves, tempered with a bit of reality and sadness.
The one-woman play, stars Audrey Wasilewski, who is familiar to
audiences from her vast array of appearances on shows like “West
Wing,” “Ally McBeal” and “Charmed,” among many others. It lures
us inside the life of Adele Scabaglio, from the beginning of her
marriage to her husband (nicknamed Doogy Scumbag, aka the
biggest jerk in school) to the birth of her true awakening as a
woman of substance and competence who is in touch with her own
abilities, talents and ambitions.
Although it is no secret to anyone that the road to self-discovery is
fraught with potholes full of adversity, Adele’s journey is so
beautifully written and acted we are lured into her world and
become a willing passenger anxious to accompany her on her ride.
The play hits on all levels, either touching one personally or luring
you in on a compassionate level. Either way, Adele’s foray into the
human condition is ripe with insight and inspiration.
The production itself is sparse, a rooftop and a sky. But the sky is,
after all, blue and signals hope.
For those who love action and music and dancing and lots of
movement, this may not be for you. But for some reason, after a
few minutes, Wasilewski’s performance draws us in completely. Her
presence fills the entire stage and we are engrossed in a one-on-
one conversation that keeps us enraptured.
Her expressions are so varied and her moods so diverse, we
become part of the emotional roller coaster for no other reason
than we are captivated by her ability to lure us into her world and
share her life.
An abundance of credit must be given to Wasilewski. For although
the writing is wonderful, her performance is mesmerizing.
Somewhere along the way, we forget we are merely listeners,
albeit observers into Adele’s life, and become instead her
supporters and cheerleaders with a vested interest in her future
and her growth process. This is due greatly to Wasilewski’s talent
and the vastness of her performance which reaches out to
everyone in an intensely personal and intimate manner.
The portrayal of her character is honest, extremely likable and
touches the best in each of us.
The message, clearly uplifting and hopeful, gives an insight into
the effects others can have on our lives, in both negative and
positive ways. This wisdom is subtle, yet something everyone
should carry away with them when the journey is over.
The audience should also leave with a sweet remembrance of one
woman’s struggle to grow, learn and overcome despite obvious
obstacles or impediments. Her determination to succeed is
heartwarming and inspirational. And her awareness of how her
choices will affect her daughter’s life strike a chord within all of us.
It goes directly to the core of the human condition and allows us
the freedom to make the changes necessary to improve our own
lives and the lives of those we love.
Playwright Eric Houston has written such productions as “Playing
with Fire” and “Sweet Deliverance.” A recipient of the 1994 Key
West Theatre Festival Award, in this piece he brings a deep
wisdom interlaced with humor and pathos.
Director Gerry Cohen is a highly respected Hollywood veteran,
with over twenty years experience directing more than 300
episodes of television comedy. He guides Adele through her
journey with a soft and graceful touch. His directing is definitely
more ballet than jazz and works with perfection in this piece. Gerry
is the eldest son of the late Broadway legend Alexander H. Cohen,
the impresario who presented over 100 shows on Broadway and in
London’s West End.
Producer Frier McCollister is currently General Manager for Lily
Tomlin’s “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” at
the Ahmanson and is Associate Producer for “Jewtopia” at the
Coast Playhouse.
It is imperative to note that the Court Theatre is one of those small
wonderful places that many are unaware exist, yet the theatre is
comfortable, pleasant and convenient. Los Angeles seems to be
populated by these tiny treasures which present first-rate
entertainment on a smaller and more intimate scale. Smaller
venues like these also enable a play with so much intimacy and
warmth to be easily conveyed to an audience and personalizes its
message.
This is a warm and winning evening in the theatre and for those
who appreciate a thought-provoking and memorable performance,
“Weight on the Roof” is a sure bet to tip the scales on the positive
side.
Court Theatre, extended through August 10th and tickets are
available by calling 1-800-595-4849 or visiting www.tix.com.
http://www.backstage.com/backstage/showguid
e/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1926988
BACKSTAGE WEST
" Weight on the Roof "
West
Southern CA July 02, 2003
Weight on the Roof
Reviewed By Sarika Chawla
presented by Ragamoo Inc. at the Court
Theatre, 722 N. La Cienega Blvd., W.
Hollywood. Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m.
June 21-July 27. $20-25. (800) 595-4849.
A good one-woman show is hard to find. No
need to look any further, because here comes
Audrey Wasilewski. Super-saturated with
talent, she tackles the role of Adele Scabaglio,
an unsophisticated Italian girl from Brooklyn,
whose daily struggles to survive ultimately
break her free from oppression. And she's so
polite. This three-act comedy takes place on
the rooftop of Adele's Manhattan apartment
building. The show opens on moving day,
when a teenage Scabaglio ruminates on her
marriage to the biggest jerk in high school and
her irrepressible love for Ding Dongs.
Sweet-faced with a mass of curly blonde hair
tied back, she is intelligently funny but
withholding; we learn little about her except
that she's a movie buff who works in her
father's butcher shop. Only when she recalls
falling in love with her husband, at a tearful
screening of Beaches, does her expressive
face and body language open up with sheer
joy. Act Two finds her four years later, with a
young daughter and a less naive, much more
embittered outlook. Forced to move back
home, she battles her abusively controlling
father. Eventually she must take on menial
jobs to support her family, whereupon she
discovers that she hates people. Six years
later she has straight hair and a mouth like a
truck driver. Here she humorously expounds
on her struggles as a waitress, dealing with
the likes of Tina Brown and Sylvester Stallone,
which finally culminate in the potential for
happiness. Watching Wasilewski onstage is
like supporting a friend. She possesses a
warmth and natural wit that endears her to the
audience, and under the direction of Gerry
Cohen, she is consistently focused, with
dead-on comedic timing. Writer Eric Houston
deserves a chunk of the credit for the snappy
lines and flowing text that remains entertaining
but neither over-dramatic nor self-pitying.
Certain topics are forgivably glossed over,
perhaps for time or clarity; for example a
boyfriend's manic depression, which
presumably would cause problems in any
relationship, is mentioned only in passing.
With this team behind her, Wasilewski
successfully captures the retrained energy of,
in her words, "a girl who is waiting for the
ka-boom," but has an unusually long fuse.
Kudos to set designer Ray Klausen, who
re-creates a Manhattan rooftop so effectively
that it will make any New Yorker homesick.
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-stage11jul11,
0,2962621.story?coll=cl-stage-features
LA TIMES
THEATER BEAT
Finding bravery in a life of banality
Audrey Wasilewski's razor-sharp solo performance
consistently surprises in "Weight on the Roof."
July 11 2003
Courage is hardly the quality we first associate with Adele
Scabaglio, the timid and decidedly unglamorous waitress who
recounts her mundane life story from a solitary perch atop her
New York apartment building in "Weight on the Roof" at the
Court Theatre. Yet Audrey Wasilewski's razor-sharp solo
performance consistently surprises and delights as she mines
humor, pathos — and, yes, bravery — from Adele's struggle
to break her cycle of self-defeat.
The emotional impact is all the more impressive given
playwright Eric Houston's determination to stay within the
boundaries of everyday experience. Told in three rooftop
monologues spanning a 10-year period, Adele's adventures
never get more exotic than landing a waitressing job and
dating one of her customers. For any of them to matter, we
have to understand how elusive even these little victories are
for a woman so beaten into passivity that she'd be perfectly
content to lie on the couch watching TV forever.
Adele's story plays like a Manhattan version of "Shirley
Valentine." Like her Liverpool counterpart, Adele finds her
way to a bigger life than she'd ever dared hope for. But under
Gerry Cohen's insightful staging, Wasilewski makes Adele's
journey uniquely her own. Her perfect Brooklyn Italian accent
and mannerisms make it easy to forget we're watching a
performance, until she slips into other equally well-rendered
characters in Adele's narratives. Houston could hardly have
wished for a more capable debut.
--Philip Brandes
"Weight on the Roof," Court Theatre, 722 N. La Cienega
Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.;
Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Aug. 10. $20-$25. (800) 595-4849.
Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.
http://www.laweekly.com/theater/theater_results.php?
showid=2014&Sumbit.x=59&Sumbit.y=16
LA WEEKLY
WEIGHT ON THE ROOF
What’s engaging about playwright Eric Houston’s charming one-
person show is the resilency shown by its working-class
heroine. Brooklyn-born Adele Scabaglio (Audrey Wasilewski)
suffers from the lack of self-esteem that typically stems from
dysfunctional relationships: She’s saddled with a macho dad, a
doormat mother and a husband labeled “the biggest jerk in high
school.” We meet Adele in 1990 on a Manhattan brownstone
roof, where she begins a three-act monologue narrating her
travails over the next 10 years. When her marriage abruptly
ends and she begins life as a single mom who’s also forced to
support her mother and grandmother, she struggles to
overcome her constant fear of failure. While the finale is
somewhat predictable, Houston’s script is loaded with enough
screwball situations and colorful characters to pique our
interest. What’s most enjoyable is watching Gerry Cohen’s
seamless direction and Wasilewski’s heartfelt performance —
which starts off grating but ends on a witty, tender note — meld
into an uplifting voyage of self-discovery. Ragamoo, Inc., at the
Court Theater, 722 N. La Cienega Blvd., W. Hlywd.; Thurs.-
Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru July 27. (800) 595-4849. Written
6/25/2003 (Martín Hernández)
http://www.bhoutlook.us/
BEVERLY HILLS OUTLOOK
That’s No Fiddler on the Roof, It’s Audrey Wasilewski!
BY CYNTHIA CITRON
There was a time when a movie incorporated the cast of World War II and a Broadway musical employed all the
inhabitants of a small European country. But not any more! Now most films include a few people and a lot of
computer-generated action and effects, and a play consists of no more than half a dozen actors, and most often,
just one. As Gloria Swanson might say, "I’m still big! It’s the vehicles that got smaller!"
Not that small necessarily equals inferior. Take, for example, Eric Houston¹s new play "Weight on the Roof," now
having its world premiere at the Court Theatre in West Hollywood. In this one-woman show, Audrey Wasilewski
plays Adele Scabaglio, an "invisible" woman who is married to "Doogie Scumbag, the biggest jerk in high school." In
this tour-de-force performance Wasilewski is funny, intelligent, and endearing.
She spends her time on the roof of her Westside Manhattan brownstone ruminating on her life. Having been
treated with contempt by her overbearing father, she is now treated with indifference by her philandering husband.
Yet she waits with tentative hope for "the big ba-boom": something of consequence to happen in her life. "But
maybe I just have a long fuse," she says ruefully.
In the second act, which takes place six years later, she is widowed, bringing up her small daughter and working
low-paying jobs to support her family, which now includes her clueless mother and her dotty grandmother. She
talks about her friend Glen, a gay man, and her sexual fling with Alex, a telephone repairman who has "discovered
her point of entry." Though her life seems pathetic, she maintains her humor and her hope.
Finally, in Act III, five years later, she has transformed herself into the woman she might have been. While still
harboring occasional doubt and trepidation, she has taken charge of her life and moved ahead. She is still an
innocent, but an older and wiser innocent. And her life includes "the big ba-boom."
It’s a simple play, well directed by Gerry Cohen, and in bringing it to life Audrey Wasilewski engages your attention,
your empathy, and your approbation, striking not a single wrong note or movement in three sprightly acts. She is a
delight!
Although she has been performing in films, television, and theater for 15 years, Wasilewski is not someone you
would readily recognize. She has played in theaters all over the country; in L.A. she played the title role in "The
Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun" and she performed more than a dozen roles in another Eric Houston
play, "Sweet Deliverance." But hers is a face that is sweet, earnest, and plastic. She could be almost anybody.
Which, in this age of non-stars, is a good thing. They don’t make roles for Gloria Swanson types any more.
In "Weight on the Roof" Wasilewski performs on a simple set: a rooftop bounded by brick walls and the metal
entryway and door by which she comes and goes. It was designed by Ray Klausen, the genius who designed the
extraordinarily effective set for the Mark Taper Forum’s presentation of "Big River."
And there is another "Big River" connection: Wasilewski’s own personal "Doogie" is Lyle Kanouse, the singing King
(and also Huck’s Papp) in the Deaf West Theatre production that has recently moved from the Taper to Broadway.
Ba-boom!
"Weight on the Roof" will continue at the Court Theatre, 722 N. LaCienega, in West Hollywood, through July 27th.
http://www.tolucantimes.
com/columns062503/story6.html
‘Weight on the Roof’ at Court Theatre in West
Hollywood
By Beth Temkin
Weight on the Roof is a one-woman play by
Eric Houston, and the woman, Audrey
Wasilewski, neither young nor old, medium tall
and pleasantly plump, takes the stage and
completely mesmerizes the audience for over
two hours. The three-act play takes place on
the rooftop of a Manhattan apartment building.
Audrey Wasilewski is Adele Scabaglio. In the
first act, she is dating the biggest jerk in high
school, Doogy, finally settling for him, as her
choices are slim and his bad behavior proved
tolerable. Adele ruminates about wasting her
life by eating Ding Dongs, watching old movies
on television and memorizing scenes. For
example, when Doogy falls outside the building
it’s like Robert Cummings in the Hitchcock film,
Saboteur, hanging on to the Statue of Liberty.
In the second act six years later, Doogy has
died and Adele has a 4-year-old daughter.
They are living with her parents and she is
working at Burger King. Through the actor’s
artistry you believe her parents and
grandmother are on stage. She easily assumes
the voice and posture of another character,
having a face like malleable clay, responding to
every word with a different expression and
dancing eyes.
In the third act, again six years later, Adele is
facing a job interview to waitress at an
exclusive restaurant arranged for by her gay
friend, who tells her to call herself Stallone for
courage. She confronts her fear, motivated by
the need to support her daughter, and has a
bad first day on the job. She forces herself to
go back, assuming the voice and posture of
her two trainers, one crude and the other a
sophisticated looker, and gradually makes it to
the top, becoming a manager. Before that, a
frequent customer of hers becomes her suitor
and they get married; she also meets a
customer, Sylvester Stallone, who, when told of
her similar name, joshes her by asking how the
twins are, and she replies they are off
waterskiing. And Sly says, “oh so they are
finally separated.”
The play is never boring due to the energy and
facial animation of Audrey, a master of her
craft. The writer, Eric Houston, has populated
this one-woman play with many different
characters to make it full. And the director,
Gerry Cohen, doesn’t allow the pace to
slacken. The floor of the roof, created by Jerry
Buszek, is in itself a remarkable story. The
Flemmish Common brick called for in the play,
discontinued over a century ago, was found in
an actual building still in use. After reading the
script, the residents realized the importance of
this rare brick to the story and unanimously
agreed to vacate the building so the roof could
be extricated for the Court Theatre.
Weight on the Roof is at the Court Theatre,
722 North La Cienega Boulevard, West
Hollywood. Performances Thursdays, Fridays,
Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.
m. through July 27. Ticket prices range from
$20.00 - $25.00 for all performances and are
available by calling (800) 595-4849.
