Better than trick-or-treating

Sick of all those whining children incessantly ringing your doorbell in search of candy? Don't quite fit into that old Ninja Turtles costume, even though you'll die trying? Disillusioned with the Great Pumpkin? Or maybe you just don't know what to do for Halloween?\nNever fear, the Bloomington Playwrights Project has got your back.\nThe BPP's second and latest offering in the Dark Alley Late Night series, "PlayHouse of Horrors," which stands alone as the theater company's Halloween production, is so full of radical plot twists and complete turn-arounds, you'll wonder why you ever even considered staying home and watching Charlie Brown this year.\n"PlayHouse" is made up of three plays, two of which last about 15 minutes and the third a little over an hour. In regards to the style, script, themes and acting, they are completely different. The only things they all have in common are the more adult themes and characteristics (ranging from suicide to heroin addiction to homosexuality to the "buckets o' blood" promised by Jeremy Wilson, the director of the third play) that qualify this production as a Dark Alley show.\nFrom the moment the audience member is welcomed to the small theater by signs warning about loud gunshots in the play and "Blood Splatter Zones," a night to the "PlayHouse" turns out to be a thrilling and fun one indeed. It definitely makes for a unique Halloween experience.\nThe first short play of the evening, "Call Waiting," was probably my least favorite, but only because it was trying to be funny at times that it seemed it should not. It revolves around a man's contemplation of the worthlessness of his own existence. His hopelessness is exemplified by the set design. Although rather disturbing events are happening to his daughter and wife far away from his reach, on stage they literally happen right next to and behind him. Unfortunately, sitting in his dirty bathrobe and surrounded by piles of old newspapers under his one ruddy floor lamp, he can do little about it.\nMy only complaint with "Call Waiting" was what I saw as its misplaced humor. Though its comic references to Bill Gates and "The Lord of the Rings" were in fact quite funny, they took away from the gravity of this man's serious struggle with suicide, leaving me to wonder if it was intended to be funny or freaky.\nThe second show, on the other hand, reveled in its hilarity, making it a little easier to watch. "Peter Has a Problem" is about Ivan, an unhappy young man who, instead of partaking in traditional Halloween customs, invites over a troubled stranger from the Internet (Peter) for a different kind of trick-or-treating, if you catch my drift. Well-choreographed chaos ensues.\nYet despite Ivan and Peter's sexual preferences, Peter's "Problem" is not what you'd think. Homosexuality is shrugged off as a major concept in this play by the way both the actors and the script are casual about it. The play is not about these characters' being gay. Instead, it's a play about how we as people meet other people. And in this play, the people who meet happen to be gay.\nBecause "Peter Has a Problem" doesn't get hung up on homosexuality (and bisexuality, as Peter is quick to point out), the play is more open and able to explore the personalities of these characters as well as focus on everything else that happens in the play. \nLead actor Kris Lee and junior theater major Troy Jones hit their marks dead-on as Ivan and Peter, respectively, and the grace and fluidity through which these actors deliver their performances keeps the play entertaining and fun.\nThe interaction between producer Dana Dyer Pierson and senior Italian major Bobby Hackett is the only element available to keep the show moving in "The Session," as they play the only two characters in the third play of the night. \nSurprisingly, despite the fact that this clocks in as the longest play of the night at a little over an hour and the entire play includes only these two characters, "The Session" flies by in an energetic rush. Pierson as Lilly -- the criminal psychologist with some dark secrets -- and Hackett as Alex -- her last-minute Halloween patient who has more than a few mental and, well, "spiritual" problems -- carry the entire show on their shoulders, and it would not do them justice to say that their performances were done exceptionally well.\nThey yell. They cry. They scream in shock and moan in agony. And they do this all perfectly while navigating through a twisting and intriguing storyline and a few freakishly delightful special effects. Telling anything more than "this is one to see" would cripple the power of horror novelist and screenplay writer Jay Bonansinga's first -- and incredibly successful -- stab at writing for the stage. Pierson said "The Session" is the best combination of actors, director and script that she has ever been a part of, and I must say that it is, if not the best, one of most unique and exciting performances I have ever seen. It will leave quite an impact on you, and it is definitely worthy of your time.\nThe show plays at 10:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday on the Timothy J. Wiles Stage in the Bloomington Playwrights Project building at 312 Washington St. Tickets are $6.