BILL EISENBERG reviews the video of the stage play of He’s Different video of performance at The Flea by Arianna Wellmoney, directed by Bradly Valenzuela

Arianna Wellmoney’s He’s Different consists of rather sophomoric writing and the characters, meant to be in their mid-twenties to thirties, behave like inexperienced 13 year olds.

The casting leaves much to be desired. Megan Catalina as Naomi, the best friend performs adequately. But Kiamba Doyling as Travis, the elusive love interest shows no skill at working without a microphone. James Nashas Hugh, the frat boy/jock, may have some acting skill but is ill served by Bradley Valanzuela’s extremely poor direction. The clue to Valanzuela’s bad direction may be heard in the talk back when he expresses that he is more concerned with putting his vision on stage than serving the play, the audience or the author. Wellmoney seems to use him frequently, but may be best served by replacing him in future projects.

The best thing about the show is Wellmoney’s acting skills. She is delightful as the “sure”, but not very aware, “Liv”. You imagine her being successful in many light and absurd comedy roles and would not be surprised to find that she has dramatic performance skills. She does not demonstrate much as a writer here, but seems to be an actress that should often be considered for casting.