Saturday, April 18, 2009

"As the Epic Turns"

AS THE WORLD TURNS Fan Club weekend kicked off Friday night with the reunion of Martha Byrne, Paolo Seganti and Kathleen Widdoes in a series of one act plays called "As the Epic Turns."

The evening started with an introduction of Epic Theather, which does wonderful work in bringing theater to numerous places from high schools to Off Broadway.

The five one act plays presented were all conceived with classic inspirations.

"Mrs. Sorken" featured Kathleen Widdeos talking hilariously about the history of theater. Seeing Widdoes on stage in all her glory really made me want to see more of her on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

"Forty-Two Thousand Diapers and One Kiss" was inspired by "Sleeping Beauty" and featured Paolo Seganti reuniting with former ATWT love interest Martha Byrne. The two of them always had mad chemistry and that has not changed.

"Jason and Madea" featured all three ATWT actors and was written by former ATWT writer Judy Tate. Inspired by the story of Madea, Seganti played Jason who had used Martha Byrne's Glaucé to rise to the top of her father's corporation. Along the way he had put away Madea (played by Widdoes), the mother of his children. At one point, Seganti's Jason died, but the following scenes between Widdoes and Byrne were so hysterical that Seganti couldn't stay dead. He broke character and laughed along with the audience while being "dead" on a bench. The play ended when it was revealed Glaucé and Madea were actually the couple in love, definitely a pairing of actors who played granddaughter and grandmother on ATWT.

"The Talking Dog" showcased Byrne and Seganti. It was probably the weakest of the five plays, although they were all very good so that isn't such a bad thing. Seganti imitating a dog saying, "I love you" was quite funny.

In "The Final Act," Byrne played an employee of a TV network whose soap actors are pitching stories to her. This was inspired by soaps obviously. Seganti's Dane and his "Mama" played by Widdoes kept proposing stories that included the two of them making out. When Seganti pulled Widdoes into a passionate kiss, the crowed erupted. Many more long, deep kisses followed and now I'm ready to forget about a Damian and Lily reunion on ATWT. Bring on Damian and Emma!

After the plays, Byrne introduced Bye Bye Sally, the film she produced that was written and directed by Paul Leyden and starred Seganti. It was very well done and had a very clevery ending which I won't give away here. Byrne announced that they had recently secured an international distribution deal for the short film.

The night closed with a reception where fans could mingle with the stars.

The entire evening was well put together thanks to Epic and Byrne. If you are in the NYC area, I highly recommend checking out the second and final show tonight.

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