Theater Reviews: Freedom of Speech, Just Like White People

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Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Monday, Aug 11 2008

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Jeffrey Howell

Plastic Crystal

Jeffrey Howell

Body Politic

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Body Politic

Ed Krieger

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Lost in Yonkers

GO JUST LIKE WHITE PEOPLE This world premiere from 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, the curiously named but well-established Asian-American improv troupe, is an eclectic collection satirizing stereotypes, with Eastern twists on Western paradigms, and some plain old zany antics. Most sketches are written by founding member Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, with a few contributed by long-standing members Peter J. Wong and Greg Watanabe, who are joined by guest stars Junko Goda, Kennedy Kabasares and Jully Lee. Highlights include “Louie’s American-Style Chinese Restaurant,” which skewers Chinese restaurants that sell out to American clientele; “21: The Movie,” a clever and necessary satire of Hollywood’s whitewashed casting practices; and “Asian-Pacific Heritage Month,” a mockumentary that pulls no punches in labeling the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Filipinos as, respectively, the “Jews, Germans, Irish and Blacks of the East.” Other sketches, like “Sammo Hung Pitch” and “Letter to a Friend,” rely on base humor but produced some of the biggest laughs of the evening. The troupe weaves in music and dance with “Jabbawabbee,” “Korean BBQ” and “Tech Support Musical.” These topical and creative sketches are, at times, uneven, but when they find their target, they are incisive and hilarious. The talented cast deftly executes numerous quick changes and even throws in a couple of barbs directed at L.A. Weekly, making this reviewer wonder if his presence in the audience was acknowledged in true improv style. The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 24. (818) 754-4500 or www.18mmw.com. (Mayank Keshaviah)

GO LOST IN YONKERS Thirty years and 25 hits after his first comedy opened on Broadway, Neil Simon won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for this darkest of his plays, set against the financial hardships of World War II. In it, six family members must depend on help from one of the most frightening figures of that era — the bitter immigrant grandmother. Grandma Kurnitz (Nan Tepper) holds her progeny fiscally and emotionally hostage to her rage against life. Most vulnerable are her minimally retarded daughter, Bella (Maria Spassoff), who lives only to take care of her mother; and grandsons, Jay (Zav Hershfield) and Art (Bridger Sadina), who are stuck in the house while their father travels to pay off a mob debt. While Simon's signature jokes find their way into this serious situation (mostly through the mouths of the boys), the tone is far from his usual fare. Fortunately for this production, the two youngsters are remarkably fine in their roles — none of the old jokes about working with children rings true with these disciplined performers: Both display bright senses of humor and heartbreakingly convincing characterizations. Director Howard Teichman fares just as well with the rest of the perfectly cast ensemble, who all commit fully to the world they have created. Teichman is also to be lauded for an extremely crisp and well-paced production that honors Simon’s comic moments without losing the intensity of the family melodrama. Jeff G. Rack's simple set and Christine Cover-Ferro's well-researched costumes serve the production beautifully without calling undue attention to themselves. Theatre 40 at the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills; in rep, call theater for schedule; thru Aug. 28. (310) 364-0535. (Tom Provenzano)

PLASTIC CRYSTAL In his new drama, playwright-actor Jason Greenfield plays Michael, an affable young man who, though fully functional, is challenged with a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. This means that while he can hold down a good job working for his short-tempered dad (Steven Robert Wollenberg), he also nervously washes his hands every couple of minutes with Purell and needs to have his shoes laid out by the bed at a perpendicular angle. However, Michael’s coping mechanisms turn out to be useless when a chance meeting with Rachel (Courtney DeCosky), a sexy, unhappily married woman, tempts him into a chaotic affair — a mess that no amount of hand washing will be able to tidy up. Greenfield’s play suffers from narrative flaws, suggesting a promising writer whose occasional, excessively sincere writing style needs to mature. Many situations are resolved too simplistically, while some patches of the script devolve into soap opera schmaltz. Yet director Abby Craden’s psychologically nuanced staging nicely balances the characters’ darker traits with likable personality qualities. And while Greenfield is clearly meant to be the show’s lead, our focus inevitably shifts to DeCosky’s unexpectedly inscrutable Rachel, who comes across as sweet and sympathetic, even as she uses and almost destroys Michael for her own ends. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. (added perf Sat., Aug. 23, 2 p.m.); thru Aug. 28. (323) 882-6912. (Paul Birchall)

SUFFER THE LONG NIGHT Writer Mary Ruth Clarke and writer-director-actor-producer Greg Glienna tell the dizzy tale of an inept community theater. The company’s attempting to produce a melodrama about an all-American family held hostage on Christmas Eve by escaped convicts (Jeffrey Markle and Glienna), but they’re in the middle of an avian flu epidemic, which has felled most of the cast, so actors are forced to play multiple roles; vital props go missing, blackouts fail to come, onstage doors refuse to open, sound cues are scrambled or missing, and someone unwisely uses a bottle of real booze for a prop, with predictable results. The flu-ridden ingénue (Stephanie Manglaras) throws up in the middle of her love scene, and Glienna’s novice crook is a prototypical wooden actor who can’t move and talk at the same time. As police detective Beck, Eric Porzadek gets beaned by a falling lighting instrument and wanders about in a daze, convinced he’s playing Stanley Kowalski. Meanwhile, the fatalistic stage manager (Mandi Smith) tries vainly to cope. There’s plenty of hilarious stuff here and some engaging performances (including Brandon Alexander as an addled high school athlete), but the piece desperately needs sharper editing, pruning and timing. Meta Theatre, 7801 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m., thru Sept. 14. (323) 960-7745 or www.Plays411.com/suffer. (Neal Weaver)