Local play simplistic but deep

Finding flaws in something is a lot easier than finding anything to be optimistic about. The play "Flaws" from Bloomington Playwrights Projects almost lives up to its name, but a small-time play shouldn't be discredited because of its scale.\n"Flaws" is a one-act play written by Bloomington's own Hal Kibbey and is the story of one woman's personal venture to fill an emotional void left by insecurity and low self-esteem. A mirror, table and couch make up most of the simplistic set, but the scenes are set more by the outstanding performance of Dawn Barber, who plays the central character Amanda. Amanda finds herself looking at mirrors and thinking that she is ugly, imperfect and flawed, which instantly sets up the internal conflict within herself. She seeks to be painted by an artist because Amanda feels all painters want to paint someone beautiful. If an artist wants to paint Amanda, she obviously has to be beautiful.\nKevin, portrayed by Todd Fleck, is Amanda's boyfriend. Kevin interjects humorous comments and phrases while in the midst of deep conversations that Amanda is trying to have. Kevin's amusing dialogue contrasts too much against the dramatic feelings of Amanda, but the his character is essential to help lighten the mood and keep the audience from being sucked into a melancholic hole. One wonders how a person as emotionally deep as Amanda finds herself attracted to someone of Kevin's stature. The two characters do not appear to have any chemistry in their relationship because all they seem to do is bicker through choppy dialogue. The balance of Amanda's dramatic motives with Kevin's comedic feelings invokes the idea that opposites attract, but the match seems to be a little too awkward.\nDawn Barber does an amazing job portraying her character. Her eyes are essential to her emotions as she can convey a thousand words with a blink of her eyes. Barber's long blonde hair is also the key to being Amanda, as the character manages her hair in accordance with her feelings and the situation. Through the very mellow lighting and Barber's talented performance, the uncomfortable and uneasy feelings of Amanda are able to pour out to the audience.\nTodd Fleck does a decent job opposite to Barber, but the character of Kevin feels out of place at times during the play because of Fleck's occasional over-acting. Fleck might also be miscast in his role because he seems too old to be in a relationship with Barber's Amanda.\nThe small stage and minimal audience seating makes this play much more intimate, which helps to overcome any awkwardness a person has toward some of the characters. The minimal lighting casts a glow on the stage that makes the audience relax and feel comfortable as well.\nThe simple plot of the script improves the play. Very concise scenes and manageable themes keep this one-act to flow almost seamlessly. Director Xanthia Celeste brings in different forms of media throughout the play to set up the tone and feeling, as well as successfully navigate the story's flow of time. With the show running at around 45 minutes, this play was definitely worth the hour taken out of the day. When the show is over, the plot is closed in terms of the narrative but issues raised in the film, such as vanity and self-esteem, stay with you after you leave.\n"Flaws" will be showing May 12-14 at 8 p.m. at the Bloomington Playwrights Project building at 312 South Washington Street. For ticket information, call 334-1188.