Theater Reviews: Box 27, Porgy and Bess and Rolling With Laughter

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Monday, May 7 2007

(Photo by Robert Millard)

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AS YOU LIKE IT Director Lisa Wolpe transplants the Forest of Arden to the American wild West in this moderately entertaining, one-dimensional production. Reconfiguring Shakespeare to another time and place sometimes works brilliantly, sometimes not. In this case, the conceit proves as distracting as the mix of shepherds and saloons. Nonetheless, the technical elements come together nicely — particularly Christina Wright’s costumes and Alex Wright’s musical arrangements. Abigail Rose Solomon heads the all-female ensemble as Rosalind, an outcast gentlewoman who dons cowboy gear and speaks in a drawl to disguise herself from both her malevolent uncle (an overly emphatic Fran Bennett) and her doting lover, Orlando (Kimberleigh Aarn). Aarn becomes so focused on projecting a convincing machismo that the nuanced sensitivity so central to the character — and so much a part of the play’s exploration of gender ambiguity — eludes her. Solomon’s almost petulant air of outsized bravado seems an oversimplification as well. By contrast, Katrinka Wolfson delivers an assured performance as Celia, Rosalind’s cousin and close friend. The best moments come from among the supporting players, including Brady Rubin as Orlando’s feisty 80-year-old manservant, Dreya Weber as the wrestler Charles and Allison Allain as the love-smitten shepherd Silvius. Paired with Cate Caplin’s choreography, the musical numbers — which extend to include the cowboy classic “Dogie’s Lament” (“get along, little doggie”) — prove charming. Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company at the MATRIX THEATRE, 7657 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru June 3. (323) 852-1445. (Deborah Klugman)

BOX 27 is the spot on enlistment papers where a U.S. Marine Corps recruit can declare whether he or she is homosexual. Marine Captain Stephen Mills (Joe Jeffrey), slated for a plum promotion to Major, lied when he checked that box and now he wants to come out as a gay man, much to the dismay of Mills’ closeted lover, Major Howard Kurtis (Michael Harrity). Written as a response to the hypocritical Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, Michael Norman Mann’s sometimes preachy but mostly compelling play still resonates, especially in a Bush-era military that dismisses desperately needed Arabic translators due to their homosexuality. For Stephen’s dad and Howard’s longtime friend Colonel Mills (Bert Hinchman), “faggots” are sick and can undermine the integrity of the Corps. But for Wiggs (George C. Simms), a retired officer, if the Marines — and the prejudiced elder Mills — could embrace him, a black man, then it can embrace gays. The debate could destroy not only Stephen and Howard’s careers but also their blossoming love. Director Larry Lederman’s keen eye for casting bolsters the piece with superb performances, notably Harrity’s conflicted Howard, Simms as the wise Wiggs and Maggie Powers as a sympathetic bar owner. ACTORS FORUM THEATER, 10655 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru June 10. (818) 506-0600. (Martín Hernández)

THE DEVIL TAKES A WIFE In her imaginative but unfocused solo show, writer-performer Anita Finlay plays a woman whose fiancé winds up in a coma following an accident — and she makes a deal with the Devil to save her lover’s life. The woman agrees to a six-month marriage to the Infernal One, promising him a fabulous time. Within the wink of a Satanic eye, the heroine is whisked down to Hell, where, notwithstanding the flashing fangs and kinky sex on the beds of snakes, Old Scratch turns out to be no worse than any selfish guy, leaving his dirty clothes on the floor and never remembering that a woman has needs too. Finlay’s amusing monologue implies that some men’s habits cause them to resemble the Devil — but she also explores the potent conceit that Hell can consist of our memories and our inability to forgive ourselves for our mistakes. Yet the script, too, doesn’t pick up its dirty socks. Some scenes are both daffy and droll, but others are confused and self-indulgent, veering awkwardly from mystifying sentimentality to poorly thought-out shtick. Still, director David Galligan’s quick-paced production contains some wonderful comic timing and artfully acrobatic blocking — and Finlay herself is an adroit and versatile performer whose genial mugging occasionally reminds us of Carol Burnett, particularly during her leering, tongue-wagging impersonation of El Diablo himself. LE STUDIO, 3025 Olympic Blvd., Stage A, Santa Monica; Thurs., 8 p.m.; thru May 31. Order tickets via http://www.gaulthierartists.com. (Paul Birchall)

KING KALIMARI — THE MUSICAL Derek Taylor Kent’s relentlessly pointless musical is the sort of fare a bored kid might scribble down during study hall. Between villains Queen Xerxi (Jessica Anne Bogart) and Cephalopod overlord Squiderotomy (R.J. Victoria), beloved King Kalimari (Mario Lara) — think Ricky Ricardo in velour — won’t survive this year’s Squidtoberfest. And as the masochistic narrator (Leon Cohen) intones, neither will the rest of Kermopoly, who, confident in their man-mollusk peace treaty, annually welcome the squids to perform their black-light ballet, Reef Madness, in exchange for the townsfolk’s mucus. Enter Dave Dasani (Dylan Vox), a barrel-chested dolt with a wild grin, who hopes to save the day with buddies Rufus and Monster (a funny Christopher Wyllie and Eric Pirooz) and lady love Aquafina (Elisa Eliot). Kent’s gumbo of fairy-tale tropes delights in its stupidity, rhyming “happy” with “crappy” (that is, when you can hear the lyrics over the canned ditties) and referencing pop figures from Ice Cube to Charlton Heston. Worn down by the ensemble’s enthusiasm and the nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time, the audience mostly plays along by groaning at the egregious puns. AVERY SCHREIBER THEATER, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru June 2. (323) 960-5570. (Amy Nicholson)