A developing playwright, dudley is part of Cherry Lane Theatre’s "Mentor Project" and worked on "Slag Heap" with the distinguished Ed Bullins ("The Taking of Miss Jamie"). If dudley’s material is hopelessly trite, at least his structure proves less hackneyed. The two-act play does not always proceed in chronological fashion, but occasionally flashes back to disclose incidents that the characters have talked about.
Best known as Connor on the WB series "Angel," Kartheiser gets an engaging gleam in his eye whenever skinny, scruffy Dave hopes to charm someone. Bryant portrays Fran with a strong sense of assurance. Janelle Anne Robinson offers a genial turn as Fran’s blowzy sister, whose lustful itch for a teenage delivery boy (Alexander Flores) leads to tragedy. Performed with heavy provincial accents, the actors’ speech is sometimes difficult to comprehend.
Director Michael Morris and his designers occasionally lighten up the gritty, minimal environs with brightly colored lights in the club scenes. Sound designer Bart Fasbinder provides a pulsing beat that subtly underlines the play’s concluding minutes.
It’s sincerely to be hoped that the production of "Slag Heap" has been a worthwhile lesson for the playwright. It’s certainly not much of an experience for spectators.