I looked forward to this west coast premiere with great anticipation. Edward Anthony’s WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH is billed as an absurd comedy about the tragedy of celebrated writer and poet Sylvia Plath’s suicide. Indeed, as I take my seat in the audience, I note the bottom half of a live female body emerging from an open oven. The set is a kitchen from the early ‘60s.

As the play begins, the still figure stirs and emerges from the oven. It’s an attractive young woman who we learn is Esther Greenwood, the heroine of Plath’s semi-autobiographical THE BELL JAR. She’s dressed in a red house dress over blue crinolines. Pretty absurd looking. More absurdity emerges as Esther begins talking to her oven, who talks back via Esther’s ventriloquism! She then communicates with a series of filmed characters projected on different flat surfaces on the set, including her neglectful husband, her overbearing mother, and herself as a child . Esther expresses a gamut of dissatisfied emotions and personal truths including saying “Life should be as perfect as a poem” and “Why are all the good woman writers lesbians?” Esther takes us through the torrential moments of her torturous life before her death.

Amy Davidson assays the role of Esther, commanding the stage well enough, but shrieking a little too much for my liking. I fault director Matthew McCray with not reining her in and guiding her to a more theatre of the absurd approach. Sure, the bulk of the play is Esther lamenting about life’s shortcomings, but the Davidson-McCray team needs to find the comic irony in the writing. Ms. Davidson is certainly a committed and skilled actress, she just needs to get more tuned in to the comedy of the piece.

Sharon Lawrence, Michael Traynor, Tom Bergeron, Kevin Brief, Corryn Cummins, Sophie Pollono, and Sara Wright all appear in support on screen.

The special effects are, well, quite effective as images of the screen characters are projected on a number of flat surfaces on the stage, and the aforementioned talking oven is a hoot.

WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH is presented by The Rogue Machine, at the Lounge Theatre.  Plays now through April 17, 2011; Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 7 PM. Tickets are $25, can be purchased by calling 855-585-5185 or visiting their website www.roguemachinetheatre.com.