Times Square Chronicles

 Jiggs Burgess and Shaw Jones in “Wounded”

OFF BROADWAY: Wounded at Soho Playhouse Successfully Surprises Its Audience

[as originally published on t2conline.com]

I miss the New York Fringe Festival. Admittedly, with that many shows presented each year it was three weeks of hits and misses where there were probably more misses than hits, which is why Fringe Encore Series at the Soho Playhouse is a welcome annual event.

Wounded by Jiggs Burgess is one of the nine productions running through February 11th that proves that less is more – only nine well received productions rather than the hundreds of untried presentations. Directed by Del Shores it is a fast paced show that although peppered with wit and laughs also contains a good amount of tension and angst.

Craig Taggart photo courtesy of Beard Collins Shores Productions

Carrol is a moderately successful book writer (his book was turned into a film with Meryl Streep) but is also a damaged individual who buries his pain in food. Played by Craig Taggart, his first appearance on stage is an over the top gay character who emits laughter from the audience with his histrionics and exaggerated antics. As he prepares for an afternoon meeting with his old school mate Robert, played by Shaw Jones, he chirps greetings to the birds that nest in his southern home and barks at the neighbor’s dog who he accuses of eating his cats.

Shaw Jones photo courtesy of Beard Collins Shores Productions

Robert had a successful career after getting a scholarship at a prestigious university; but, a tragic accident has devastated his life and prospects to the point where he hopes that Carrol may help him find work and put him on a better path. While Mr Taggart plays his role with a never ending antic energy of none stop chatter, Mr Jones at first plays his part very subdued, quiet and passive which allows us to be even more surprised when he explodes into anger and threatened violence.

These two characters have hidden painful secrets that are revealed slowly, replacing the jovial atmosphere seen at the start of the play into a tension building drama with a satisfying conclusion.

The set design by Mr Taggart fills the stage with a bounty of appetizers and goodies that both shows Carrol’s obsession with food and also allows director, Mr Shores, to use these samplings as props and diversions that both bring laughter and divert tension.

Wounded is definitely worth traveling downtown below 14th Street. Tickets are available at International Fringe Encore Comedy Series — SoHo Playhouse and plays through February 11th.