Theater Reviews: Friends Like These, The Crossing, Peace, Somebody’s Somebody

Also, F*ucking Men, The Kingdom Come, The Golden Gays and more

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Tuesday, Sep 15 2009

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RUBY, TRAGICALLY ROTUND The theater-in-the-round set for Boni B. Alvarez’s dramedy about a Filipina college student named Ruby (Ellen D. Williams, in a great performance) puts its actress on a center pedestal and encourages the audience to take in a 360-degree view of a self-described “fat girl” as she tries to wriggle into her tightest jeans. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera confronts the audience head on with Williams’ weight: She strips, straddles her boyfriend (Kacy-Earl David) and above all, stands with confidence, daring us to deny her sex appeal — which is hard to when she struts her vamp walk. Her mother, Edwina (Fran De Leon), however, disagrees. A former Miss Manila, she’d rather hide Ruby away like a fairy-tale beast while she presses her more timid daughter, Jemmalyn (Marc Pelina), to practice around the clock for first prize in the Miss Sunnyvale Pageant. Backed by her sassy chorus of junk food–loving friends (Angel Felix, Alison M. De La Cruz and Regan Carrington), Ruby vows to take the crown herself, even if her imposed group diet turns her posse into the Lord of the Fries. Alvarez’s play has an up-with-Ruby cheer that undermines its call for equality and empowerment: Ruby’s quest for the crown reveals her care only about the swimsuit, not the talent or the interview, and Jemmalyn’s legit argument that she alone has put in the effort to win is dismissed by the playwright as being petulant. A subplot in which Edwina betrays her husband, Jepoy (Robert Almodovar), with wealthy white neighbor Kline (Mark Doerr) hints that beautiful women are limited by their reliance on looks but largely seems designed only to give the gorgeous villain more stage time. Alvarez and Rivera’s climax obliges in a Grand Guignol finale that turns this into a play about child abuse, not fat pride. Though riveting and well-acted, the alternately chipper and dark play feels as bipolar as the undiagnosed Edwina herself. Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through October 11. (213) 489-0994. A Playwrights Arena production. (Amy Nicholson)

SOLITUDE Inspired by Octavio Paz’s collection of essays, “The Labyrinth of Solitude,” Evelina Fernández’s drama with music attempts to explore core issues of family, love, death and cultural identity, but the result fails to make much of an impression. On the occasion of his mother’s funeral, an emotionally distraught Gabriel (Geoffrey Rivas) invites a small group of friends who attended the ceremony to his luxurious penthouse for an after party. Present are a character simply called The Man (Robert Beltran), Johnny (Sal López), Angel (Fidel Gomez), Ramona (Fernández) and Gabriel’s wife, Sonia (Lucy Rodríguez). Amidst the revelry, the sad story of Gabriel’s relationship with his mother slowly emerges. She was a woman he abandoned years before her death because he was ashamed of her poverty. Other secrets come to the fore during the long evening, which reveal startling connections between the guests, and force them to confront the painful realities of their past and present. Fernández is adept at writing with cheeky humor but is less able to explore the substance and soul of her characters. Much of what transpires appears as narrative convenience or airy contrivance, particularly the lead-heavy emotional finale, which features a moving song by Lopez in Spanish. Urbanie Lucero’s choreography is attractive, but the colorful Mexican dancing is sometimes laid on too thick by director Jose Luis Valenzuela. The performances are good, however, particularly Beltran, who has a formidable stage presence. Semyon Kobialka’s cello accompaniment is flawless, and Francois-Pierre Couture’s skewed picture-frame scenic design effectively suggests how we’re skewed by our experiences. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., dwntwn; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through October 3. (213) 489-0994. (Lovell Estell III)

Courtesy Theatre Unleashed

Friends Like These

Michael Lamont

F*cking Men

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SOMEONE’S SOMEBODY Regina Louise’s monodrama centers on her role as a black child in search of a family. She was abandoned by both her mother and father. Over the years she was sent to more than 30 foster homes, most of which she fled. A counselor in a children’s home where she was sent loved her and wanted to adopt her — but the authorities forbid it, since the counselor was white, and they insisted she needed a black upbringing. She desperately wanted to be with someone who cared about her, but that didn’t concern the bureaucrats. It’s a fascinating rags-to-riches tale (she eventually wrote and sold a successful autobiography), but there’s something slightly schizophrenic about the way she tells it. She talks about her utter powerlessness to control her own destiny, yet she emerges as a highly confident, competent and savvy young woman. Would be nice to know how she got there. She tells us she has a son, but we never learn the circumstances of his birth, or the identity of the father. Louise is a deft writer-actor and singer who threads songs through her narrative. But I kept ruminating on the story’s crucial aspects she left out. Lee Sankowich directs. The Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through October 5. (323) 960-7738 or plays411.com/someones somebody. (Neal Weaver)