The fictional solo show — one that doesn't document a historical figure's life — is a rare and wonderful creature. Like Becky Mode's Fully Committed, Craig Wright's Mistakes Were Made traps its main character in a flurry of calls from a 10-line phone, ratcheting up the tension— and laughs — with each ring.
Scott Greer (pictured) makes a mercurial yet endearing Felix Artifex for 1812 Productions, a schlock theater producer desperate to stage a new play instead of his usual "old recycled crap." Artifex sees himself as "imaginative, hopeful and driven," but as he juggles calls from a demanding movie star, an idealistic playwright, his hateful agent, and some Italians trucking sheep through hostile territory (it all adds up eventually), "desperate" is more accurate.
Director Matt Pfeiffer wisely chooses to play Mistakes Were Made sincerely, not as farce. Even when Artifex confides in his giant fish, Denise (a puppet designed by Alisa Sickora-Kleckner, manipulated by Georgia Schlessman), Greer's portrayal stays genuine. He's particularly exacting in his phone listening; a production eager for easy laughs would speed him along, but the time he takes to hear his imaginary counterparts reveals what they say through his reactions, expertly building suspense. Amanda Grove as his mostly offstage receptionist adds a perfect deadpan note to Artifex's meltdown.
What results isn't a sitcom-style punch-line comedy, but a wild ride of a play about commerce and artistic passion, with a neat final twist. No one who loves theater should miss it.
Through Oct. 30, $28-$36, Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St., 215-592-9560, 1812productions.org.
