Master of the Rack
Yellow venue, find showtimes
Master of the Rack is a show that is all about wordplay—literally!
A competitive Scrabble association is run by Ted (played by John Moughan), who is in need of more members to keep their group from being shut down. Not only is there that threat, but the only other active association’s leader, Pomeroy (played by Mark Davids), threatens the team’s chances of competing at regionals, thereby taking their group down, making Pomeroy’s association the only game in town.
All seems impossible until Sam (played by David McElroy) stumbles into the rundown building with his son because of an ad Ted places, and that’s when the story thickens.
The production really teaches people who have never played Scrabble competitively, or at all, the lingo of the game and shows the audience the competitive side to Scrabble, which I found interesting. The production staff and crew behind the show were creative in using a projector to show what each Scrabble lingo was when played, or the board of the game when Sam faces off—or plays a “three-off” as said in the competitive world of Scrabble—with Pomeroy to determine the fates of the two associations.
It was an overall good show that had its moments of chuckles. The acting ranged from cast member to cast member, giving it a very community-theater-like feel and also making it feel a bit inconsistent. Various actors had trouble with their lines and didn’t always get the joke to the punch when needed, but that’s what’s a dress rehearsal/preview is for, right?
Read all of Watermark’s coverage of the 2016 Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival here.
