Theater Reviews
Including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Four Man Plan and more
GO THE FOUR MAN PLAN: A Romantic Science At Cindy Lu’s romantic nadir, her fairy godmother gave her a scolding. “You’re Chinese — you’re good at math,” she said, and ordered Lu off to develop the Theory of Lovetivity. Though tighter and funnier than most one-woman shows, what begins as a typical examination of dating, therapy and daddy issues takes a welcome turn when Lu slides into a lab coat, wheels out an A.V. cart and flips on an overhead projector. As she explains the methodology behind “4(m)p = u+1,” the two numbers and three variables that landed her a fiancé, the wall dividing art and infomercial threatens to crumble (her manual is for sale in the lobby). If Lu isn’t an advocate of theatrical purity, she’s at least an engaging and bawdy imp. Single ladies will be emboldened by her rational and sound hypothesis on the sexual sciences, though the fun flags when Lu feels obligated to prove it by talking at length about the spiritual connections between her and Earl, the love of her life. Paul Linke directs. RUSKIN GROUP THEATER, 3000 Airport Dr., Santa Monica; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 7 & 10 p.m.; thru Sept. 2. (310) 397-3244. (Amy Nicholson)
GO I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT GIVEN TO ME BY A YOUNG LADY FROM RWANDA Sonja Linden’s play looks at a Rwandan refugee’s (Erica Tazel) shaky attempts to confront, through writing, the loss of her family during her country’s genocide. Emotionally blocked from taking a personal measure of her tragedy, Juliette runs smack into another kind of international hazard — the Burned-Out British Poet, here named Simon (Louis Lotorto), a man who encourages her to find her voice even as his own writing and marriage have ossified. This story of unimaginable horror is told in the simplest terms, with Linden mostly avoiding the traps of mentor-protégé plays. David Rose’s tight direction steers the evening away from sentimental gestures, and Tazel turns in an especially vivid performance. COLONY THEATER, 555 N. Third St., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 17. (818) 558-7000. See Stage feature next week. (Steven Mikulan)
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PARK WORLD Writer-director-performer Caley Bisson’s fable about innocence and experience follows two individuals who journey to an enchanted locale, first as children and then as adults. Dressed in school uniforms, Augustus (Bisson) and his companion April (Megan Rosati) murmur incantations and drink a magic potion before traveling to four distinct lands: Rose World, Sand World, Pond World and Dish World — subdivisions, apparently, of the titular Park World. The two enjoy a chaste kiss and pledge eternal friendship, but when Augustus loses his magic stick, he’s banished from the enchanted surroundings. Act 2 takes place 10 years later when Augustus and April wake up to find themselves in Park World again, but the angry, jaded adults don’t immediately recognize each other. The script has some charm, evoking a childlike sense of wonder in the early scenes, but playwright Bisson never follows up on intriguing references to “fascists” and “what’s out there.” More critically, director Bisson needs to develop more emotional shading in Act 2. Scene changes are particularly awkward, with the actors struggling to position heavy background flats in the dark. Bissonica Productions at the WHITMORE-LINDLEY THEATER CENTER, 11006 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 27. (818) 761-0704. (Sandra Ross)
SECOND THOUGHTS Writer-director-composer-performer Tony Tanner’s intimate revue may be the first musical to feature a copy of AARP The Magazine as an important prop. The show, self-described as being “songs and sketches about the fun of being 21 no more,” is the latest in a spate of shows performed by mature actors for the delectation of our growing older audiences. The cast of four (Angela DeCicco, Lloyd Pedersen, Bobbi Stamm and Tanner) displays versatility and verve, with slick and precise piano accompaniment by musical director David E. Cole, assisted by violinist Vera Budinoff. Most, but not all, of the sketches deal with love and romance, both straight and gay, marital and extramarital. “My First Boy” concerns an older woman’s delight at recruiting a young hustler she’s putting through college, “I’m Getting Unmarried in June” dramatizes the joys of divorce, and Tanner provides himself with some clever patter songs, including “The Pumps Are by Cardin” and “I Should Have Worn Red.” The wry and rueful production is well designed to amuse its target audience, but it may prove a harder sell for younger crowds. Paula Higgins provides the stylish couture. LONNY CHAPMAN GROUP REPERTORY THEATER, 10900 Burbank Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Sat., 2 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 10. (818) 700-4878. (Neal Weaver)
TWELFTH NIGHT The “louder and faster” approach of director Justin Eick is often effective in this energetic redux of Shakespeare’s comedy of love, gender and mistaken identity. Shipwrecked high-born lady Viola (Carrie-Ann Pishnak) pretends to be a boy in the court of Duke Orsino (Justin Scheuer) and act as a go-between to woo the recalcitrant object of his love, Olivia (Jennifer Hoyt). As producers and stars, Pishnak and Hoyt enjoy the bulk of this version’s cutting and successfully carry off some highly original takes on these characters, imbuing them with liveliness and humor. The other characters don’t fare so well. Though cast with good actors, they are relegated to two dimensions, having little growth to illustrate the familiar story. Most disappointing is the handling of Malvolio (Eric Thompson), Olivia’s snide steward who becomes the butt of the play’s low-born jokes. While Thompson creates a funny persona, his Malvolio seems more of a pathetic, imbecilic twit than a mean-spirited snob who needs bringing down — so when he is brought down there’s no glee, just embarrassment. Eick’s biggest mistake is staging an inordinate number of comic moments on the floor in a space that blocks the view from anyone not in the first row. Physically the play is decorated with lovely (uncredited), simple Elizabethan costumes. LOST STUDIO, 130 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Sept. 2. (323) 933-6944. (Tom Provenzano)
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