Let me add my voice to the chorus of those enchanted by O’Connell and Company’s satiric romp through Buffalo and Erie County politics, Buffalo Zings! Hot, Tedium, and Wild. No public figure goes un-skewered in this not entirely good-natured, but wholly honest send-up of the mayoral candidates, local weathermen, Nancy Naples, Sam Hoyt, the Common Council—and especially Joel Giambra and his … supporters.

John Elston has had a terrific run as a beginning playwright in Buffalo. With a gift for dialogue and an ability to imbue his characters and plots with ambiguity and mystery, he has seen engaging productions his plays Private Viewing, Interrogation Room, and Project. He enjoys the enthusiasm and loyalty of Scott Behrend, a young and talented director, who has guided these plays with insight; and he has been lucky enough for his characters to be played by some of the best talent in Buffalo—actors John Buscaglia (Interrogation Room) and Lisa Vitrano (Private Viewing) have both won Artie Awards for playing Jon Elston characters.

Torn Space theater company continues on its avant-garde way with Madame Edwarda Performs Tricks. An original piece conceived by Dan Shanahan, it splices together the work of French author Georges Bataille and the work of Barry Gifford, the author of screenplays for such films as director David Lynch’s Wild at Heart and Lost Highway. Add to this concoction original video sequences, and you’ve got a characteristically Torn Space show.