Theater Reviews: Red Scare on Sunset, Miracle in Rwanda

Also, Going to Meet the Man, The House of Blue Leaves and more

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Monday, Sep 15 2008

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A BRONX TALE A memoir of Chazz Palminteri’s adopted gangster father
Almost 20 years since it premiered in L.A. at Theatre West and was discovered by Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri’s Broadway hit, solo memoir A Bronx Tale, has all the ingredients of an enduring saga — violence and sentimentality, fathers and sons, rites of passage and tests of loyalty. The setting is Palminteri’s apartment stoop at the corner of Belmont and 187th Street in the Bronx, where, as a 9-year-old in 1960, Palminteri, sitting by himself on the front steps (lovely set by James Noone), witnessed a gang shooting. The gang in this instance was the Italian mob, but one has the sense from Palminteri’s story that the general shapes of gang warfare and drive-by shootings are as universal as the tests of loyalty they induce. Palminteri describes being dragged to the local police station to identify the shooter — one self-appointed neighborhood protector named Sonny, whom the locals respected and feared. The scene has Palminteri playing himself, with his hand thrust into his father’s sweaty palm, as the parent prays the kid will keep his mouth shut — which he does. “I did a good thing, huh, dad?” the boy asks, to which the father replies, “You did a good thing for a bad man,” hoping that the matter — and the dubious morality attached to it — will simply dissipate. But Sonny’s gratitude slowly emerges, and the young Palminteri finds himself with a second father, engaged in an ethics clash with his first. The former is loved, the latter, feared; the former works like a horse and can barely pay his rent; the latter has grown stinking rich by scaring others into doing his works — he delegates and makes decisions. Sonny dismisses the Palminteri family’s love of pro baseball — “When your dad can’t make the rent, tell him to go to Mickey Mantle, and see what he says” — because in this world, “nobody cares.” With that philosophy, Sonny encourages the boy to go to college and work his way up in the world. Meanwhile, through the child’s Faustian friendship with the gangster, the boy finds himself at the center of attention and a superstar at gambling dens and gangster conventions, a kind of attention that intoxicates him. Jerry Zaks directs a tender production, supported by John Gromada’s subtly nostalgic sound design, while Palminteri’s skills at capturing and flipping to and fro among dozens of local denizens, including the leading players, provide much of the sharp edge to his story’s sweet center. Wadsworth Theatre, on the Veterans Administration grounds, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., West Los Angeles; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 & 7:30 p.m.; through Sept. 21. (213) 365-3500 or ticketmaster.com. (Steven Leigh Morris)

Joan Marcus

A Bronx Tale

Ryan Morgan

The Four of Us

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THE CAUCUS RACE In Ian M. McDonald’s absurdist comedy, eight strangers wake up on the 50th floor of a high-rise with no escape. Sounds like the first episode of a reality show — and for much of the first act, it feels like one, as the characters argue ideas without listening to anybody else. But as their self-involvement starts to expose their self-interests, McDonald’s apocalyptic Act 2 comes into focus. The one pragmatist (Jo Ann Mendelson) realizes that their world is crumbling and no one else cares. The spiritualist (Rebecca Lynch) invents a god, the artist (Ryan J. Hill) touts his shallow art, the athlete (Sean Patrick) is useless, the scientist (Tim Sheridan) is focused on trivia instead of solutions, and the politicians (Nick Parmer and Troy Matthews) would rather squabble over the kitchen paint job, when the walls are tumbling down. McDonald’s characters are too scatterbrained for their ideas to crescendo into an interesting conflict, but the bigger issue is that director Rae Williams substitutes madness for absurdism: The former can be delivered shrieking, which it is in abundance; the latter is most convincing when it arrives with a straight face — and that’s what’s missing here. Tempered and sharpened, this could be a play of obvious but cutthroat intent rather than just a gaggle of screamers running in circles. Flight Theater at The Complex, 6472 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m.; through Oct. 5. (323) 913-1293. A Veritas Ensemble production. (Amy Nicholson)

GO THE FOUR OF US An exploration of the space between ideals and reality, Itamar Moses’ clever, surprising play takes us inside the lives of novelist Ben (Ryan Johnston) and his best friend, aspiring playwright David (Steven Klein). Ben has just sold his first novel and seems to be on the fast track to success. David, while happy for his friend, tries to hide the envy that consumes him. From this point, we travel down the road of their long-standing friendship, exploring their psyches in depth as scenes shift seamlessly between the past and the present in the tightly woven and complex structure. Far from completely serious, the witty lines and comic moments along the way give the piece a natural and believable feel — including one especially funny sequence, when the pair is traveling in Prague, and Ben ends up humping a stuffed bear during a conversation about sex. Michelle Tattenbaum’s deft direction not only brings out the humanity in her actors but also challenges them to execute precisely choreographed scene changes. Mark Guirguis’ set design and Rachel Myers’ costumes support Tattenbaum’s staging, with a minimalism that allows the actors to maintain the performances’ dramatic momentum. The Elephant Theater Lab, 1076 N. Lillian Way, W. Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Oct. 19. (800) 838-3006 or www.fireflyinc.com. A Firefly Theatre and VS. Theatre Company Production. (Mayank Keshaviah)