Dear Diane
The Typing Explosion at
On the Boards, 217-9888. Through June 17.

The Typing Explosion has a great schtick: Three women dressed in l960s office-secretary drag collaboratively pound out assembly-line poems on middle-aged manual typewriters. Rachel Kessler (Stranger writer), Sarah Paul Ocampo, and Sierra Nelson first performed as the Typing Explosion as a one-time joke gig, but everybody--from local fans to USA Today and the Academy of American Poets--loved them so much they kept at it. Dear Diane is a full-length theater piece based on the insane poems the trio has written together, found texts from old typing manuals, and some eye-rolling Shakespeare parody.

Dear Diane tells the story of one day in the life of a secretary (or three), played by Kessler, Ocampo, and Nelson. These three do everything together: They sleep in the same bed, wear the same style of shoes, eat the same horrifying lunch (white-bread sandwich in a plastic bag, a DingDong and a bottle of Coke). Most importantly, they work together for Bossy Boss, who is not part of Typing Explosion's usual routine--but Sarah Harlett's brilliant performance makes me wish it were. Harlett has an incredibly plastic face, impeccable timing, and a range of quick mood changes that would make a multiple personality proud. Dear Diane also adds music, and though the band was fun, most of the music interrupted the pace more than it contributed to the story. On the other hand, Rachel Kessler's musical number was a thing of astonishment. The dubious competence of her accordion playing was matched by her unabashed vocals--sort of a Diamanda Galas meets Lawrence Welk.

For the most part, Dear Diane is a terrific entertainment--fast-moving, funny, and smart. But like most short forms that try to morph into longer, cohesive pieces of art, the transition is not entirely successful. Some scenes seem a bit filler-ish, and the play ends with a poem-on-demand session that started the troupe. Though it makes sense to want to return to the Typing Explosion's roots, the mechanics of audience participation make the play drag at the end. But that's not a reason to miss this show. Despite the lapses of pace, it's wildly funny. Worth it.