All in the Timing
at Interboro High School

Reviewed on December 5, 2014

Emily Gallina
Phoenixville Area High School
Submitted for publication to Inquirer-1

What if loneliness could be abolished, what are people really thinking when making small talk? The students at Interboro High School make light of these thoughtful questions in their incredible performance of All in the Timing. All in the Timing was written between 1987 and 1993 by David Ives. A collection of six short plays, the stories center on words, romance, and existentialism. Interboro High School added mini monologues introducing each story in order to present its meaning in a clearer way. Through their energy and comedic expression, the cast of crew of Interboro's All in the Timing, lit up the auditorium.

From the hilarious promo video created by Paul Bilardo and Jeff Ebner to the live tweets projected on the walls, the atmosphere was ripe with excitement before the show even started. While many characters were miked, the sound rarely faltered, never distracting from the performance itself. Stage crew did an outstanding job efficiently changing the set for each new scene so that it never felt long before the lights were back up and the audience was chuckling once again.

Evan Redding and Molly Evans in "Sure Thing" kicked off the show with an outstanding performance in which they frequently had to rewind and repeat many of the same lines, each time changing their expressions slightly. The chemistry between the two was palpable and their mannerisms truly enhanced the roles they played. Daniel Previti, Kelvin Lu, and Alyssa Evans were fascinating in the scene "Words, Words, Words" as monkeys; the way they effortlessly moved around the stage and shrieked was extremely impressive. The ensemble in "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread" seamlessly played off of each other, never missing a beat as they continuously repeated words.

Not only did the cast and crew of All in the Timing wonderfully execute the performance, they truly inhabited their roles. It was evident that each of the characters had a solid grasp of the philosophical meaning of their roles. In order to convey the humor in comedies, its important that the performers feel comfortable on stage and the cast at Interboro High School definitely appeared this way.

From the opening of the curtain to when the characters took their bows, laugher filled the auditorium and enthusiasm oozed from the stage. Needless to say, Interboro High School did an absolutely fantastic job of presenting the quirky performance of David Ives' All in the Timing.

Aditi Biswas
Phoenixville Area High School
Submitted for publication to Inquirer-2

A Play on Words

Words, words, words. We say and hear them, but hardly do we think about just how much they affect every moment of our lives. Interboro High School explored what exactly it means to be extraordinarily human in the play, All in the Timing.

Composed of six comedies, All in the Timing was written by the playwright David Ives, and first premiered Off-Broadway in 1993. The acts are connected by the underlying theme of communication and its impact on human relationships.

Interboro High School pulled off the rendition with ease and composure. The acts were punctuated with sharp humor and surprising coherence, and the play moved in a way that never felt confusing or hasty. Supported with a minimalistic set and interactive stage, the actors were able to shine through with their words and movements.

Each actor played their character in a surprisingly natural manner, making them relatable to a large spectrum of people. Laughter filled the theater as one of the acts, "The Philadelphia," talked of the city and Mark (Jeff Finley) ranted about its inability to get anything done. The actors held an intimacy with the audience that never left the show.

The last act, a humorous and seemingly nonsensical look at how a few lines can transform music and the idea of forgotten love, had the only musical ensemble of the play. They brought "Philip Glass and a Loaf of Bread" alive with a few words and movements, going from silly to philosophical in seconds.

A large part of the play was the use of light and sound. In one the acts, "English Made Simple," light plays the role of determining what the characters are thinking, shifting swiftly between the two leads, and adding an air of mock drama seen in theatrical operas.The sound was also quite important, as the bell was a recurring instrument and is never once too harsh. While there were some unintelligible lines in a few of the acts, the actors' facial expressions and movements said what the words couldn't.

All in the Timing is a show with multiple shows within, and Interboro High School never failed to bring character to each of them. With a cast that never stopped interacting with its audience and filled the theater with guffaws, it goes to show that though words are a gift to humanity, laughter is truly priceless.

Caitlin Dwinnell
Upper Merion Area High School
Submitted for publication to : Delaware County Daily Times

Time is a unit constructed by society to justify our motion through the universe. We live by the clock. Anything and everything we do is controlled by the clock. Each stroke of our being stains the universe for better or for worse. So, what becomes of us when time is shattered? What does our potential become if we ignore the restraints of time? Our possibilities become boundless when we no longer need to worry about the timing.

There is a subtle difference between good stage presence as a character and good connection with the audience when breaking the third wall. As a performer, it can be a difficult to act, not as a character, but as yourself because it gives you less dramatic flare to hide behind. Jeff Ebner (Don) nailed this concept, entering the stage with a confidence that the audience absorbed even before the lights came on.

Chemistry on stage is vital when analyzing the success of a show's casting. Rhythm is difficult. Lines are difficult. Choreography is difficult. The Philip Glass ensemble's (Morgan Smith, Tori West, Jayant Karna, and Mitch Millard) ability to master all three was incredible to listen to and to watch. It told a story with such synchronization that it was almost magic, fitting reality into a set bar of time.

Interboro's, "All in the Timing", stopped the clock, which is something that can easily become difficult to follow as an audience member, especially as the scene continues to reset. However, Paul Bilardo and Madeleine Dupont committed to each slight character shift, which made the transitions unbelievably smooth. Narrations by PJ Slagle were a vital and humorous framework to the continuity of the scene.

It was obvious to the audience that the cast understood the existential values that the production entailed. Evan Redding (Bill) was one that stood out because of his capability in emphasizing what the audience needed to have emphasized in order to clarify the script's meaning.

All through the day and all through the night the clock ticks an incessant rhythm. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. Being around it all your life you would think, that just maybe, we'd have a grasp on it by now. Alas, humans of all sorts continue to be beaten by the drum of time, not knowing when the right moment is to say..."Hello".

Molly Harnish
Delaware County Christian School
Submitted for publication to News of Delaware County

Have you ever wished you could start a conversation over? In the one-act play, "Sure Thing", the first of six individual skits in Interboro High School's performance of All in the Timing, Bill (Evan Redding) and Betty (Molly Evans) are able to do just that, setting the mood for the five scenes to follow.

All in the Timing, a collection of six one-act plays by David Ives, contains skits alternating comedy with philosophical statements. It premiered off-Broadway in 1993 and was revived again two decades later.

Interboro High School's production of All in the Timing was anchored by the clear energy of the actors in each skit, whether they were acting as monkeys attempting to write Hamlet in "Words, Words, Words" or trying to escape small talk and find true love in "English Made Simple." The difficulty of learning fast-paced and sometimes nonsensical lines was clearly overcome in the plays "The Universal Language" and "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread".

In "The Universal Language", Don (Jeff Ebner) convincingly spoke in his own made-up language, Unamunda, while falling in love with Dawn (Demi Davis). Ebner's compelling delivery of nonsensical lines was impressive, effectively convincing the audience of his love for Dawn.

In "Words, Words, Words", Swift (Kelvin Lu) is one of the monkeys attempting to produce Shakespeare's Hamlet. With the energy of a real monkey, Lu swung himself around the desks and typewriters onstage, speaking quickly but clearly and evoking laughs from the audience at several key points. In "The Philadelphia", Mark (Jeff Finley) accurately portrayed the frustration of being stuck in a state where you can't seem to get anything you ask for. While some actors spoke too fast to be easily understood at times, most had impressive command over their lines and roles.

Behind the scenes, the students working on lighting and stage crew demonstrated mastery of their jobs. The stage crew (under the management of Hope Daluisio and Bryce Welsh) moved quickly and quietly, while the colored spotlights flashing over the stage (done by Jordan Furman and Neil Hews) added to the rhythm of the performance of "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread".

All in the Timing's six separate scenes and fast-paced dialogue can make it a hard play for high school students to master, but Interboro High School's actors and actresses rose to the challenge.

Lexi Vaganos
Germantown Academy
Submitted for publication to Town Talk

For not one moment during Interboro High School's production of All in the Timing was there a lack of interest, compel, or excitement. The challenge of taking on six individual one-act plays was one that the school handled with ease.

All in the Timing is a light-hearted show, by the playwright David Ides. The original six plays and the ones that Interboro High School took on are, "Sure Thing", "Words, Words, Words", "The Universal Language", "The Philadelphia", "English Made Simple", and "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread". Most are humorous, relatable, and all have a focus on wordplay.

The cast's energy and chemistry with each other in this production was always apparent. Each individual had a serious grasp on their character and a connection with their scene. Remarkable to watch was the bizarre language in "The Universal Language", which was delivered effortlessly. Equally impressive was the execution of the fast paced scene, "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread".

Jeff Ebner, the actor who played Don and executed the intricate language mentioned above, did an amazing job. His character's arc could be recognized when towards the end of the scene his somewhat insecurity about the made-up language was revealed. Jake Pfaff and Jeff Finley were wonderful in "The Philadelphia". Also, mature and endearing to watch were Paul Bilardo and Madeleine Dupont from "English Made Simple".

Worth mentioning from the supporting cast is Alyssa Evans from "Words, Words, Words". She had a well developed and thought out persona: somewhat ditsy and lacking concern for the three monkeys. This set her apart from them. And from "English Made Simple", PJ Slagle's role of the announcer was commendable.

Looking at the production from a technical point of view, the aspects seen in the lighting, sound, and even marketing were very well done. The lights fluctuated in the final scene vibrantly with different colors. The show, because of the actors' diction and the overall sound system, was always clear. The twitter feeds on the sidewalls were a very cool touch. And lastly the promo video brought many laughs.

Helping this show greatly were the quick summaries before each of the acts. They helped guide the audience and were simply fun to watch. These snippets along with the excellent scenes themselves made for an admirable production of All in the Timing. Great job Interboro High School!