Jersey Voices, 2012 @ The Chatham Playhouse ,7/27-28/12

Across the river this past weekend (and this coming one) the one-act festival Jersey Voices is enjoying yet another triumphant run.

These 6 plays (culled from 100 submissions) run the gamut, with no one play overstaying its welcome. First up, the jaunty-and even poignant at times-“The Portrait Gallery,” written by Gary Shaffer, features Miriam Salerno, Scott Tyler and Jim Clancy and is directed by Stephen Catron. “6 In The Kid” follows-one of many of the evening set in NYC-starring Cooper Sacks, Jean Kuras and Terri Sturtevant, directed by Joann Scanlon. There is some bedroom fun in “The Buffer” (no no, not that kind of fun, get your mind out of the gutter!) as Jeffry Foote and Jessica Phelan diplomatically trip over the idea of ‘couples friends vs single friends’ in Mike Allegra’s play, directed by Paul Bettys.

Act 2 opens with intricate staging by Chris Messineo (and inspired lighting design by Alex Fetchko, his first time working at this well-appointed community theatre) of E.M. Lewis’ deadly “The Incident Report”-Brian Carroll, Jeff Maschi, Chip Prestera, Jim Clancy and Jessica Phelan star and the last two of the night; Eric Alter’s “Children Of September” directed by Frank Briamonte with Elizabeth Royce, Maude Weiss and Brett Levine and Terri Sturtevant’s one-woman tour de force in Mary Jane Walsh’s “Ping”-directed by Arnold Buchiane-both score quite the emotional impact.

Get yourself down to N.J. this weekend for some provocative theatre at Jersey Voices. Info at www.chathamplayers.org.