For someone that sees as much theatre as I do one can crave more experimental and fresh approaches to the artform. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a production of The Music Man or A Christmas Carol as the next person but it’s exciting to see something that feels innovative and new. Such was my experience at the Meanwhile Park venue in Sugarhouse with their new one act short plays Vacation and Red Devil.

Meanwhile Park is a place I had heard about but had never been invited to review until now. It’s a wonderful concept started by Jeff Paris after the pandemic (began in 2021) and the entire production takes place in a Salt Lake City backyard. The stage is a cement patio with all the lighting and other effects that one needs and they have a small group of chairs for the audience to enjoy the shows.

They truly think of everything even giving snack boxes, custom-made cocktails and bug spray wipes to make your experience comfortable. This intimacy and charm is part of why I think it would make for such a fun date night.

As far as the actual plays this is the first year they’ve done 2 one act plays that were selected as part of the Meanwhile Park Playwright Prize. Evidently there were over 170 submissions for consideration, which is kind of amazing for something out of someone’s backyard.

The first act show is called Vacation and it’s a dark two-hander where a gay couple Barrett (Alexis Baigue) and James (Dan Beecher) have taken their frustrations with each other out in very funny and violent ways. Even though this is a dark comedy it is about a relationship so again brings me back to my great date night idea. Something like Meanwhile Park could easily be a gimmick but the acting and the material are entertaining. I’m not excusing anything because of the environment it is presented in.

The second act show is called Red Devil and it’s more of a bittersweet comedy about 3 women getting treatment for breast cancer. Rose (Vicki Pugmire) and Val (Reb Fleming) are our older patients who are shocked when a young girl named Emmie (Laura Elise Chapman) comes in for treatment and has a completely different way of looking at the world. Chapman gives the most compelling performance here embodying Emmie with equal parts bubbliness and loneliness. Writer Andrea Berting writes the character well also when she could have easily been nothing but a dopey influencer. Red Devil might be too light and frothy for some given it deals with cancer but I enjoyed it. Again it balances just the right tone for date night.

With the intermission the night at Meanwhile Park will take you around 80 minutes which is perfect for this cozy, charming experience. They are rapidly selling out as there aren’t that many chairs so sign up today! It plays through July 20th and if you get to see it let me know what you think.

Vacation is written by Nathan Johnson and directed by Jason Bowcutt. Red Devil is written by Andrea Berting and directed by Teresa Sanderson.

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