The seven one-acts that comprise the latest incarnation of the Group Rep’s Motel 66 may not all be slam-dunks, and a couple of them are not ideally cast, but put them all together and you’ve got one enjoyable afternoon or evening of short-form live theater.

Boomers in the audience may recall the popular TV series Route 66 that had Martin Milner and George Maharis (and then Glenn Corbett taking over for Maharis) making assorted life-altering road stops along America’s most fabled highway.

Motel 66 imagines similar tales unfolding at various motor lodges along said route from Flagstaff to Amarillo to Barstow to Albuquerque and beyond.

Most are comedies, a couple are dramas, and if nothing else they give Group Rep company members the chance to strut their creative stuff as writers, directors, and actors.

 Julie Davis’s 45 Minutes And Counting (directed by Lisa McGee-Mann) has a couple of adult siblings played by Troy Whitaker and Savannah Mortensen debating the rightness or wrongness of the wedding vows he’s about to take, with Mom (Stephanie Colet) putting in her own two cents about the matter.

Denise Downer’s Forget Me Not (directed by Barbara Brownell) imagines what might happen should a husband’s forgetfulness get out of hand, with Lee Grober and Melissa Lugo as the couple in question and Michael Mullen popping in as a sassy motel employee.

Fox Carney’s Futures Passed (directed by Todd Andrew Ball) sends Kaye (April Audia) back in time to prevent Kaitlin (Anica Petrovic) from making the same disastrous mistake that ended up ruining the older woman’s life.

Phil Olson’s The Tour Guide (directed by Doug Engalla) introduces us to long-marrieds Fred and Sylvia (Lloyd Pedersen and Judy Nazemetz) whose 30something son Kyle (Ben Anderson) has been freeloading far too long, with Neil Thompson as a man who just might be more than just a local tour guide.

Mimi Kmet’s Wildorado (directed by Amy Shaughnessy) features a young married woman (Sylvie Wiley as Katy) at the end of her rope and the older woman (Ramona Reeves as Grace) who once made the same decision Katy’s about to make, albeit for different reasons.

Kathi Chaplar’s Reunion (directed by Helen O’Brien) has Rachel Speth’s Michelle, in town for her 30th high school reunion, encountering an 18-year-old (Seong Park) who’s the spitting image of her ill-fated senior year boyfriend Victor.

Finally, Brent Beerman’s Baby Day (directed by Lee Redmond) gives us a trio of cosplaying ComicCon attendees (Angie Lin’s Jennifer, Sam Logan’s Will, and Danny Salay’s Christian), one of whom is bound and determined to get pregnant tonight, sperm donor TBD.

As to which of the seven one-acts will top your list from best to not-so-best, well much of the fun of attending this potpourri of playlets is comparing rankings at intermission and after the show.

 My favorite by far is Futures Passed, not only the most powerful and dramatic, but one that gives both Petrovic and Audia the chance to dig deep and touch hearts.

The Tour Guide is a hilarious short-form example of “Don’t Hug Me” playwright Olson’s oddball sense of humor, the performances are delish, and the similarly quirky Baby Day tickled my fancy as well as did its three stars.

I also really liked 45 Minutes And Counting’s twist on a gay man marrying a woman (not what you’d expect) though I do question the sister’s reaction given the reason for his decision.

Both Wildorado and Reunion have their plusses, though I would have liked to have seen the two women’s relationship be given a few more pages to develop and I did question Michelle’s immediate acceptance of Victor as a ____. (Don’t want to give that away.)

Petrovic and Audia may be the evening’s acting standouts, but pretty much everyone on stage gets a chance to shine.

Still, too much age discrepancy in Forget Me Not (they’re written as contemporaries) and not enough in Reunion (I didn’t buy that there was a 30-year age gap between them) should probably have been rethought when casting.

Motel 66’s spiffy poolside set was designed by the uncredited Mareli Mitchel-Shields. Jeff Dinnell and Jessica Kent are understudies. . The cast’s own costume choices are spot-on, and Nick Foran once again proves himself one of the best sound and lighting designers in town.

Motel 66 is produced by Sam Logan. Mitchel-Shields is producing director and dramaturg. John Ledley is production technician.

Jeff Dinnell and Jessica Kent are understudies. Vienna St. Dennis and Axel Truitt are stage managers. Nora Feldman is publicist.

I can’t think of a smarter way for a membership company to showcase the talents of its multitude of members than by having literally dozens of them set up shop in Motel 66. Check in for a two-hour stay and you’ll see what I mean.

The Group Rep Theatre, 10900 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood.
www.thegrouprep.com

–Steven Stanley
June 26, 2025
Photos: Doug Engalla

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, The Group Rep