If you like to watch
Sex Times Three
Through Aug. 8
Greater Orlando Actors Theatre
669 Cherry St., Winter Park
www.myspace.com/wallflowertheatre
$12 (cash only)
There goes the neighborhood. The Greater Orlando Actors Theatre has only been in their new space (the former Cherry Street Theater) for about a month, and they're already inviting friends over for sex — and asking you to watch. Local actress Kimberly Luffman (who you may remember from shows by GOAT, PRT, OSF, OTP and other acronyms) is putting on the producer's hat for the first time as Wallflower Theatre and presenting Sex Times Three, a trio of light-blue comedies written and directed by Larry Stallings (The Shaeffer Killing, Orlando Vigilante).
In scene one, Gabby (Luffman) tells platonic roommate Zach (Alex Carroll) that she's leaving to live with her girlfriend. His jealous reaction reveals that his interest in antique lunchboxes and musical theater doesn't mean what she'd assumed.
Next, Carroll portrays Davey, a sexist comic who mistakes security consultant Cynthia (Luffman) for a sex worker supplied by his agent. The two duel with snappy patter as she ponders being his "diversion" for a pile of dollars.
In the final and funniest sketch, Sarah (Luffman) is an accused witch awaiting stoning at the stake. She's beset by beaus (Carroll, Stallings) offering to bear her away before the inquisitor (Kevin Sigman) arrives brandishing pointy sticks and broccoli.
Tying the unrelated episodes together is musical host Marc Sirdoreus. If you don't already know singer/songwriter Marc With a C's infectious acoustic nerd-rock songs about love, sex and genital warts, this mini-concert is a fine introduction.
Stalling's short scripts are more like shaggy-dog jokes — complete with overdeveloped setup and punchline blackouts — than fully developed one-acts, but each has at least a couple of killer lines ("What part of ‘torture her until dead' did you not understand?"). Luffman and Carroll deliver Stallings' old-school sitcom-style banter with fluency, but they don't have the sensual spark you'd expect from a show with "sex" in the title. I've known and worked with members of this fledgling company in years past, so I'm happy to see them branching out and looking forward to them tackling something meatier soon. In the meantime, if you're seeking a few good laughs and great songs, this three-way should get you off.
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