Theater Reviews

Including the Aboriginal Treatment Center, Hogan's Goat, Feed and more.

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Monday, Feb 5 2007

(Photo by Jason Mohler)

(Photo by Vitor Martins)

More About

THE ABORIGINAL TREATMENT CENTER “You’ve killed the American dream,” accuses a grease-painted judge (Lamont Coleman) to janitor Tyrone Smith (Jemal McNeil), who’s on trial for diluting his parents’ civil rights dreams into a modern cliché. An ex-addict with grunt ambitions, five kids, and bad credit, and wearing a minstrel’s tap shoes with a mop bucket glued to his hand, Tyrone tries to sidestep the disapproval of the judge and his coterie of three women (Erinn Anova, Lynne Connor and Dee Freeman) dressed with a sardonic patriotism in red, blue and spangles. “I’m just doing my job, man,” he defends. But today’s black men and women need to think beyond the next paycheck, insists poet/playwright Ron Allen. His soul-affirming journey cranks the anger dial past Capra (who was plenty bitter himself). McNeil’s own rough-edged direction actually underscores the piece’s frustration and immediacy, like a fallen electrical cable shooting off sparks. The play is more a jazz riff on independence than a lucid argument. After the epilogue, where Tyrone re-enters in a Che Guevara tee to re-educate his crack-addled (and roller-skating) janitorial replacement (Tamara Curry), the cast at the after-show Q&A confessed they still don’t quite understand Allen’s play, but they love the message. Me too. ART SHARE LOS ANGELES, 801 E. Fourth Place, dwntwn.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru Feb. 18 (added perf Feb. 18, noon). (323) 930-1055. (Amy Nicholson)

HOGAN’S GOAT Set in Brooklyn in 1890, William Alfred’s talky and very Irish melodrama tells of an ambitious young ward leader named Stanton (Kevin Quinn), who is eager to become mayor. His chief rival and nemesis is the city’s wily and corrupt long-term incumbent, Quinn (Orson Bean). The two men have tangled not only in politics, but in love, with both former paramours of a magnetic woman, Ag Hogan, now on her deathbed. Stanton’s drive for power is complicated by the theological anxiety of his devout wife, Kathleen (Kelly Miller). Written in free verse, the play features wonderful language but awkward plotting, especially in the expository Act 1, where the dying woman is much discussed but never appears. This production’s main problem, however, lies in the lead performance; a mercurial and kaleidoscopic interpretation might have generated some mystery, but Quinn’s driving politician comes across as a mulish, headstrong man whose passions, including that for his wife, never appear to ignite. The tiny stage, with its cluttered, ill-defined set, is also a liability. Well-honed performances among the supporting ensemble do much to compensate for these shortcomings, however; they include Bean’s unprincipled politico, Kristina Harrison as an alcoholic streetwalker, and Alley Mills as Ag’s cousin, once sweet on Stanton herself. Elina de Santos directs. PACIFIC RESIDENT THEATRE, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru March 4. (310) 822-8392 (Deborah Klugman)

SAY IT TO MY FACE! In her solo show, Selene Luna stands tall at 3-feet-11-inches, while dishing the dirt on celebrities she’s worked with on stage, screen and TV, and debunking myths about Little People in the entertainment industry. (“That’s so 1800s,” she says about the show-biz cliche of posing Little People next to giants.) After the opening burlesque striptease number, Velvet Hammer alum Luna alternates between autobiographical material and observations about Hollywood. Luna’s had an interesting life: Her family illegally crossed the border from Mexico and settled in East L.A. She grew up admiring the style of cholos, who, she says, taught her how to put on makeup. Luna’s stories about Hollywood are equally fascinating. She tells of her reluctance to play an elf in a film, comparing stereotypical costume roles for Little People to performing in blackface. Family photos, pictures of noteworthy Little People and video clips of Luna’s acting work have been seamlessly incorporated into the show. However, director Lawrence Elbert might want to rethink the staging. An onstage swing wasn’t particularly well used, nor were some transparent cubes. CAVERN CLUB THEATER AT CASITA DEL CAMPO, 1920 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 17. (323) 969-2530. (Sandra Ross)

UG The mise en scène for Jim Geoghan’s waggish musical is a sewer in a desolate postapocalyptic future where sex is referred to as the “grunt naked na na big tickle” and our Neanderthal descendents discover the joys of drinking mud, eating wood and even creating show business. The kick here isn’t Geoghan’s storyline (there really isn’t much of one) but his bitingly funny lyrics, the late Rick Rhodes’ sharp musical arrangements and Terry Barto’s energetic, ticklish choreography. Act 1 sets the tone for the evening with some amusing ditties such as “The Cooking Song,” where the soot-smeared, shabbily dressed tribe pays homage to the pleasures of the feast; and “These Are Incredible Times,” a clamorous celebration of a primitive era. The standout caveman is the garrulous Ug (Danny Blaylock), who seeks to answer man’s eternal question with his artfully intoned “The Meaning of Life.” As it turns out, Ug “accidentally” discovers the art of drama while relating a story about boar hunting, which inspires a theatrical performance for a bombastic royal visitor (Thom Babbes). There aren’t any dull moments, and the fine cast is gleefully directed by Jerry Kernion. ATTIC THEATRE AND FILM CENTER, 5429 W. Washington Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 24. (323) 525-0600. (Lovell Estell III)