Theater Reviews: Blank, Palomino, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Also, Four Places, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, 1951-2006 and more

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Thursday, May 20 2010

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GO HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING This 1961 musical, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, depicts the spectacular rise of window washer J. Pierrepont Finch (Josh Grisetti) as he schemes his way to the top at the World Wide Wicket Company, armed only with boundless ambition, a how-to guidebook, and no conscience whatsoever. Grisetti is long, lanky, and engaging, and his Finch exudes faux innocence as he cheerfully betrays, backbites and undermines both rivals and superiors. He receives top-notch support from John O'Hurley as company boss J.B. Biggley; Simon Helberg as Bud Frump, the boss' sniveling nephew; Nicole Parker as the girl who falls for Finch; Melissa Fahn as the air-head vamp Hedy Larue, and a host of others. Director-choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge gives the piece a broad, slick, stylish, fast-moving production, musical director Darryl Archibald serves up the songs with high energy and crisp precision, and Bradley Kaye provides the clever, colorful set. In the wake of Enron, Goldman Sachs, and corporate bailouts, the satire here seems benign and toothless, but the piece remains an amusing romp. UCLA, Ralph Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall, Wstwd.; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; through May 23. Produced by Reprise Theatre Company. (310) 825-2101. (Neal Weaver)

KING OF THE DESERT Solo performer Rene Rivera delivers an energetic performance in this quasi-biographical work about a Mexican-American boy from the barrio who defies low cultural expectations to become a professional actor. Written by Stacey Martino, the piece derives its title from tales of Rivera's father, about their people's rich cultural heritage — stories that filtered into the boy's imagination to become part of his identity, along with the more raw experiences of violence, racial prejudice and domestic strife that shaped his everyday life. Eventually the narrative travels to New York (later Hollywood), where Rivera's alter ego awakens to a broader landscape that includes women, drugs and alcohol. Directed by Valentino Ferreira, the densely layered chronicle moves at a swift pace that later becomes hypersonic, with few quiet moments to set off the increasing number of melodramatic highlights that culminate in a rather conventional declaration of personal pride and acceptance. Throughout, Rivera undertakes all roles with professional adeptness and the vocal power of a trained actor. What's missing, paradoxically, is the sense of a vital connection between this performer and the experiences he is relaying — a disconnect that detracts from the play's emotional punch. Constrained by limited resources, designer Tony Sanders' lighting fails to underscore the numerous transitions of time and place, and set designer Danuta Tomzynski's backdrop is also something of a cluttered distraction; this piece might more effectively play on a barer stage. El Centro Theatre, 804 N. El Centro Ave., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through June 11. (323) 960-5774. A CoActive Content Production. (Deborah Klugman)

PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ

David Cale as Kieren in Palomino: just a gigolo

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LENNY BRUCE IS BACK (AND BOY IS HE PISSED) Ronnie Marmo does a great rendition of the late hipster social commentarian comic — arrested three times for obscenity, in the days when they used to arrest comics in nightclubs. Marmo looks the part, impersonates Bruce's vocal cadences, as well as his distinctive gestures (arm resting on the microphone cradle). The solo show, written by Sam Bobrick and Julie Stein, takes place in the San Fernando Valley cemetery where Bruce was laid to rest. Here, he's not resting, however. He's ruminating and reliving his life in the '50s and '60s, in events leading up to his fatal drug overdose in 1966. Unfortunately, YouTube clips of Bruce's act are far more compelling than Bobrick and Stein's script, which is written largely in the past tense and concentrates on interpersonal relations with friends and family — including Bruce's appreciation for his mother and annoyance with his father. Such domestic confession is not what made this comedian a legend. What made him a legend is in short supply here — brusque, stinging satires of personal sexual habits, ethnic stereotypes: a hipster version of Chris Rock. Bruce was a giant, and despite the information here explaining what made him a giant, the actual interpretation, in writing and performance, is squeezed into a brand of defiance that's more petty than noble. From watching this show, you'll know but not feel how this man changed stand-up comedy, and paved the way for Andy Kaufman and Jon Stewart. Theatre 68, 5419 Sunset Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs., 8 p.m.; indef. (323) 960-5068. (Steven Leigh Morris)

LONDON'S SCARS The preshow announcement in the style of the London Underground's famous "mind the gap" admonition takes us to Thurloe Square, the site of a recent bus bombing in the world premiere of Richard Martin Hirsch's latest work. The bombing is discussed by psychologists Bronwyn (Imelda Corcoran) and Margaret (Ann Noble); the former is an art therapist and becomes saddled with Mary (Meredith Bishop), a young woman who witnessed the tragedy and is consequently a person of interest to MI5 field agent Dowd (Rob Nagle). In their sessions, Mary is initially reticent, responding only with book quotations. As Bronwyn uses art to delve into Mary's psyche, however, Mary opens up, revealing her occupation as a call girl and her association with Habib (Ammar Ramzi), the Pakistani man thought to be responsible for the bombing. Hirsch's ear for the British idiom, especially London slang, is undeniable, and his characters are fascinating — especially the tortured souls of Mary and Habib. However the simmering tension Hirsch strives to build into "explosive" (sorry) moments unfortunately lacks the requisite danger and menace to keep us in anticipation. Director Darin Anthony employs creative staging of the numerous flashbacks and movements in space and time, aided by Christie Wright's nimble lighting, Stephen Gifford's flexible set, and Bill Froggatt's soundscape of London calling. The solid cast is punctuated by standouts Nagle, notable for his chameleonic shifts in playing two other minor characters as well, and Bishop, whose tortured intensity is palpable. Odyssey Theatre, 2005 S. Sepulveda Blvd., W.L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through June 27. (310) 477-2055. A Coffeehouse Production (Mayank Keshaviah)