Not Only Feasible, but Downright Hilarious!

SARASOTA – On Monday night, Zlatomir Moldovanski, a third-year student at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, debuted his hilarious one man act, Is it Feasible?, before a packed house in the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Based on the stories of Chudomir, who was a popular satirist in the actor's native Bulgaria, Moldovanski has created a thoroughly-entertaining and culturally-rich theater experience that kept the audience doubled over in laughter from start to finish. 

Moldovanski translated and adapted three popular short stories into an engaging one man show that provides audiences with a cultural orientation to the unique Bulgarian sense of humor. Set in the capital city of Sofia during the Soviet era, the play satirizes one man's disillusionment with having realized every villager's dream of making it to the the capital, where life is said to be infinitely more enjoyable, only to find it woefully lacking in nearly every way.

Moldovanski has seamlessly melded the stories into a very coherent narrative that supposes the audience is listening to his character give orientations to new arrivals. Earlier this year, I saw Zlatomir in the Conservatory's New Stages production of Romeo and Juliet, a modified version which is taken to schools throughout the state as a sort of cultural outreach program. The production required the actors to play multiple roles and I couldn't get over how much unique persona the young actor was able to inject into each of the very different parts he was playing.

It's that same sort of vibrant stage presence and deeply animated physical acting that carries Is it Feasible? at such a sustained pace that by the time the curtain falls, it's hard to believe you've just experienced a show put on by only one performer. Moldovanski's sincere passion in engaging theatergoers in order to share with them a rich culture that has undoubtedly shaped him as an artist, while remaining wholly unknown to most every member of the audience, gives the work a very inspired quality. The play is directed by fellow Conservatory student Benjamin Williamson, who is currently starring in Asolo Rep's Other Desert Cities (full review).

Moldovanski billed the free performance as something closer to a dress rehearsal, saying that he and Williamson plan to continue workshopping the production before performing it at the Cook Theatre again next semester, with the ultimate goal of having it admitted into fringe theatre festivals throughout the country next year. Monday’s debut certainly seemed opening-night worthy and the duo have already announced future dates on February 24 and 25.

Those performances will be held at the Home Resource Theatre, a unique performance venue that’s actually inside of an upscale furniture store in downtown Sarasota. Both performances will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are only $12. Because of the limited seating, reservations are a must and can be made by emailing Mbush@homeresource.com. The venue is located at 741 Central Avenue.

Dennis Maley is TBT's editor and featured political columnist. His regular column appears every Thursday and Sunday. He occasionally reviews local theater purely out of love for the art form and claims no particular expertise beyond his considerable experience as an audience member. Click here to visit his column archive. Click here to go to his bio page. He can be reached at dennis.maley@thebradentontimes.com.You can also follow Dennis on Facebook.