'Bird Germs' inconsistent

When one sees a production at the Bloomington Playwright's Project, 308 S. Washington St., it must always be viewed with a grain of salt. Performing in an adequate, although not equitable space, using effective, yet old lighting equipment and an off-center pole, nearly every production is a struggle usually resulting in brilliant work. \n"Bird Germs" proved to be an exception to this standard.\nAt 8 p.m. Friday, "Bird Germs," a new comedy by assistant director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance in the Kelley School of Business Eric Pfeffinger, opened for a three-weekend run with performances at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays. Directed by John Kinzer ("Simplicity Itself"), "Bird Germs" explores the mind of a woman and her life troubles, rooted to her images of her father and sister.\nEllen Birnbaum, the daughter of a classics professor, is a producer for a local public television affiliate in the Midwest. Unable to stay in steady, healthy relationships, Ellen's boyfriends are played by the same character and represent the mundane status of her love life. One of the men wants to pick her brain so that he can effectively write female characters in a new novel, which sets in motion a series of events leading to her epiphany of why her love life is so dysfunctional.\nEnter into the equation a therapist who has an agenda that excludes helping Ellen, images of her father as various dictators of the past century, a Shirley Temple-esque sister and an everyman producer/taxi driver who philosophizes and one can understand Ellen's neurosis.\nPfeffinger, whose "Traumaturgy" and "Scrooge Variations" were seen at the Playwright's Project last spring, produced another comedic offering with "Bird Germs." He also serves as the literary manager of the playwright's project, and his plays have won several awards and been finalists in many competitions.\nBut "Bird Germs" is another self-indulgent, all-in-her-head psychological comedy that patronizes the audience. By offering lines that give reference to unknown philosophers, writers, television programs and the like, the playwright, and possibly other writers who fall into this trap, receive some kind of pleasure from confusing and patronizing their audiences.\nLike "Traumaturgy," which was a play about a dramaturg, the play is a field day for playwrights and other writers, giving them a play all about themselves. "Bird Germs" tries to show us a troubled woman whose difficult problems are rooted to something very personal in her past. While we might have all seen our parents a Hitler figure at one point in our lives, in this play it serves to trivialize Ellen's own personal troubles making them and herself look ludicrous.\nKinzer, an experienced director, handled the text with care and grace. Trying to create an environment of truth even with the ridiculousness of the situation, he elicited a beautiful performance from Bloomington resident Megan Wilson. \nWhile Wilson took the first few scenes to get the energy and pacing on track, her portrayal of Ellen was layered, alive and deeply felt. She had great comedic moments with all of her cast members.\nThe only difficulty with such a brilliant performance was that many of her fellow cast members could not work at her level, thereby sucking the life out of what could have been energetic scenes. But freshman Emily Cavanagh had great energy as Ellen's Shirley sweet sister Delores, dancing on stage in tap shoes and a sun dress to deliver her perky lines.\nThe set design, by Kinzer, artistic director and graduate student Richard Ford and lighting designer and graduate student Rob Graham, was an effective raked thrust stage. It was an aesthetically pleasing sight. Graham's lighting was soft and shadowy, offering a smooth shift of scene changes without blackouts giving the show a seamless flow.\nWhile the play is a questionable choice, the execution of it is another matter entirely. Kinzer's touches are delightful and effective, and Wilson's war-horse of a performance is definitely worth the price of a ticket.