Theater Reviews: Groundlings Swimsuit Edition, A Good Smoke

Also, Varla Jean Merman Loves a Foreign Tongue!

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Monday, Mar 3 2008

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ROAR OF THE TIGER: THE LEGEND OF TOKYO ROSE Glenn Conner Johnson's reconstruction of the life and persecution of Iva Toguri (Momo Yashima) has the makings of epic-style political theater but falls flat in this production, directed by Johnson. Toguri was the Los Angeles Nisei woman who, in her mid-20s, traveled to Japan just months before Pearl Harbor. Refusing to renounce her American citizenship once hostilities began, she found clerical work at Radio Tokyo, eventually becoming one of 20 English-language announcers who were collectively dubbed Tokyo Rose by American troops. Johnson employs taiko drumming, a Kabuki tiger headdress and an ensemble-driven presentation to explain Toguri's actions and fate. Yet nearly every other scene is explained by a narrator (Ralph Brannen) before it unfolds — making the 70-minute Act 1 cry out for trims. There's also the confusing appearance of a malevolent spirit-character named Tokyo Rose the Legend (Yashima), who vampishly slinks onstage to create trouble for Toguri. Worse, Yashima is easily twice as old as Toguri was when she began her broadcasts, which removes the character's aura of youthful naivete, which Johnson's script relies upon. (The age difference might have worked had the play opened in modern times, with Toguri reflecting on the past.) The play finds its focus during Toguri's 1949 treason trial, which was stoked by Hearst yellow journalism and Walter Winchell's (Johnson) xenophobic rants, against an ever-present background of American racism. Egyptian Arena Theatre, 1625 Las Palmas Ave., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru March 23. (323) 222-1728. A World University Theatre Workshop Production. (Steven Mikulan)

THEATER PICK VARLA JEAN MERMAN LOVES A FOREIGN TONGUE! Drag star Jeffery Roberson's alter ego Varla Jean Merman (spawn of Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman) regales us with her insanely banal reflections on traveling abroad — opinions weighted toward the joys of finding easy sex and a McDonald's in the middle of Rome. This new show, which includes appearances by opera tenor Mark Cortale, features about 70 minutes of stereotypical "international" costumes (red taffeta, lederhosen and a particularly obscene banana skirt), sleazy double-entendre songs, bawdy videos and a running commentary that reveals Varla's presumption to be the center of the universe. Her observations are blithely condescending ("Foreign people aren't like us"), while Varla's conversations with audience members prove to be exquisitely crass. ("How do you say, 'This sore is not contagious'?") After she draws a shrug from an audience member when asked how to say "bacon" in Spanish, Varla helpfully prompts, "Well, what's the word for 'dog'?" The familiar Varla Jean personality traits are all here: jaw-dropping shallowness, abject professional failure and incurable nymphomania. But Roberson's character also turns a neat trick that makes the evening slightly political, in the moments when Varla Jean's lack of curiosity about other cultures equates gay self-absorption with Heartland cluelessness about the world beyond America's borders. It's a hilarious performance that you never want to end and that reminds us again of its auteur's wicked imagination. Ultra Suede, 661 N. Robertson Blvd., W. Hlywd.; Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; two-drink minimum; thru March 27. www.groovetickets.com. (Steven Mikulan)

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Roar of the Tiger

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THE WORLD'S LARGEST RODENT The title of Don Zolidis' comedy refers to the capybara, a kind of guinea-pig colossus found in South America. This tailless beast is the subject of a junior high school PowerPoint presentation that lands nerdy Billy (Andy Gobienko) in trouble from the start. PowerPoint title slides also introduce us to various low points of Billy's existence, including a family that consists of a porn-model sister, Meg (Kim McKean), and a mother (Mary Carrig) whose failed suicide attempt has left her comatose. "Zany" is writ large for this world premiere, as Billy meets a series of wacky characters: a moon-faced Christian teen named Chastity (Aria Noelle Curzon), Latin Lothario Reynaldo (Vincent Giovanni) and an alky priest (Kelly Van Kirk). The play's episodic structure, though, leaves us with the feeling of watching an overly long evening of unconnected sketches. Billy has some definite wants, including getting to first base with Chastity, reviving his vegetative mom, and coming to terms with his runaway dad (Van Kirk), who appears before Billy as a man-size capybara (startling fur suit by costume designer Lauren Tyler). Mere desires don't translate into a plot, however, and so when a certain denouement occurs, such as one character declaring she's a lesbian, it doesn't mean anything — it's just a line blurted out in an evening full of them. On the bright side, the ensemble, under Tom Ormeny's direction, has fun with the material, and Gobienko is likable in the lead role. Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru April 13. (818) 841-5421. (Steven Mikulan)