by Robert Delaney for Encore Michigan

Eight one-act plays by innovative and imaginative playwright David Ives are being presented in “All in the Timing,” the latest production at the Hilberry Theatre on the Wayne State University campus.

Ives doesn’t believe in being bound by the conventions of full-length play-writing, so he specializes in short plays that last just as long as he thinks they need to.

Only one small theater in New York City had any interest in producing “All in the Timing,” but it was such a success that it moved to a larger house on Broadway – and ran for more than 600 performances.

Now, master director David J. Magidson and a talented grad-student class has given us a splendid production of these Ives one-acts.

The plays range from amusing to side-splittingly funny, and several – if not all of them – will surely find favor with any…