Theater Reviews: The Hyacinth Macaw, Locked and Loaded, Gigi

Also The Sonneteer, Wrinkles and more

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Thursday, Feb 24 2011

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GO LOCKED AND LOADED Ever hear the joke about the two guys with terminal brain tumors who decide to beat death to the punch? A Jew and a WASP dress up in tuxes, rent a presidential suite stocked with their favorite booze and call some hookers to help them go orgasmic into that good night. OK, so the subject matter and setup of, and even the quietly heartbreaking backstories in, actor-playwright Todd Susman's play are a little derivative — Leaving Las Vegas and Marsha Norman's play 'Night, Mother spring to mind — but some very clever writing and smart performances make this West Coast premiere much funnier and more mystical than the approach its predecessors took. Particularly interesting is Susman's deliberate trafficking in stereotypes. Old-monied Dickie Rice (Andrew Parks) is haughty as he hurls three strikes in quick succession at an African-American hooker, sniffing, "Do you know who I am?" and referring to her "Aunt Jemima" style of speaking. Sad-clown sitcom writer Irwin Schimmel (Paul Linke) turns his poison pen on himself and his Jewish heritage, and Catorce Martinez's (Terasa Sciortino) inability to understand English subtleties is the source of many jokes. But in electing Princess Lay-Ya (a very sharp Sandra Thigpen) queen pin, Susman gives the underdog the upper hand, which Lay-Ya uses to force the superficialities aside to reveal the very real, raw pain coursing beneath. After such deep diving, the resurface at play's end is a little easy; nevertheless, the whole shebang is a much more entertaining evening than the premise portends. Chris DeCarlo directs. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3:30 p.m., through April 16. (310) 394-9779. (Rebecca Haithcoat)

THE REVENANTS Not only do the protagonists in this zombie play break the age-old cautionary rule (in zombie-prone regions) of avoiding the basement at all costs, but they manage to hunker down below ground with two members of the rapidly multiplying undead population. Thus, a long and tediously unfolding chain of events is set in motion by characters entirely lacking sound decision-making skills. All of this stupidity would be fine were it a remotely intelligent commentary on human folly, but nothing in Scott T. Barsotti's text resembles satire or keen irony. Instead, we witness the agonizingly uninteresting plight of Gary (Carl Bradley Anderson) and Karen (Anne Westcott), a pair of old friends whose respective spouses, Molly (Lara Fisher) and Joseph (Rafael Zubizarreta Jr.), have turned zombie. While the uninfected couple make feeble attempts to devise a plan of action, they chain Molly and Joseph to the wall. For the play's duration, Molly and Joseph halfheartedly strain against their bindings while Gary and Karen talk about old times, argue over the extent to which their spouses are lost and question their marriages. There isn't a nail-biting moment in sight here; the constant presence of the zombies creates a tolerance factor that renders them about as threatening as a pair of uncouth houseguests unaware of the late hour. Because Gary and Karen are entirely unremarkable characters, the stakes are further purged. If the goal is to make us root for the zombies (think George Romero's smirk at rabid consumerism in the shopping-mall setting of Dawn of the Dead), then the failure is one of narrative scope: Focusing on four characters in a static setting is no way to build an audience of gleeful zombie sympathizers. Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center, 11006 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., through March 19. thevisceralcompany.com. (Amy Lyons)

The Revenants

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GO THE SONNETEER Nick Salamone's play examines the ways in which homophobia, guilt, self-delusion and hypocrisy cause the gradual disintegration of the Cardamones, a first-generation Italian-American family. Louie Cordero (Paul Haitkin), his younger brother, Michael (Ray Oriel), and their friend Joey (Ed Martin) go off to serve in World War II. Michael and Joey, serving in France, secretly become lovers. After the war, Louie marries his sweetheart, Livvy (Sandra Purpuro), but he also discovers the relationship between Michael and Joey, and his virulent homophobia is aroused. He orders Michael to stop seeing Joey and threatens to kill Joey. Then, in a work accident, Michael runs over Louie with a cement mixer, causing his death. Pressured by salty, bossy older sister Vita (Cynthia Gravinese), who wants to save him for middle-class respectability, Michael marries a sweetly naïve hospital nurse, Ella (Victoria Hoffman), whom he'd like to love, but doesn't. Meanwhile, Livvy, desolate over Louie's death, writes sonnets to relieve her pain. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera sensitively explores the rich characters and understated subtleties of Salamone's play, with fine assistance from his able and faithful cast. Haitkin, in particular, scores as both homophobic Louie and his scholarly pro-gay son. Davidson/Valentini Theatre, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 7 p.m., through March 13. (323) 860-7300. (Neal Weaver)

TUCUMCARI Riley Steiner's bittersweet country tale transports us to a 1930s motor-court homestead along a remote, dusty New Mexico stretch of Route 66. For young bride Lillian (Ciera Parrack), marriage means embarking upon a new life and exploring the vast world beyond her Albuquerque farm. But on her honeymoon she is dismayed to learn that her new husband, Lyle (Logan Fahey), has a different future all worked out for them — running the motel he won in a card game. Lil makes the most of her lot and all is going well until a handsome traveler passes through their tiny town of Tucumcari. Meaningful looks exchanged between Lil and Cade (Robert W. Evans) suggest a heated past. When Cade stays on to help Lyle build a porch, Lil finds her affections are divided. Pretty as a picture, Parrack is excellent as the stubborn and feisty heroine, conveying a deep and conflicted longing for the life she always dreamed of having. As quiet and slow as a country mile, Steiner leaves plenty of space between the spoken words, and director Doug Traer preserves the languid rural pace of this sweet and simple life. While it's enjoyable to watch the porch taking shape, the lean story merely plods along. Upstage, behind a scrim, a trio of country singers (Aric Leavitt, Rachel Kiser and Pat Whiteman Astor) yodel and harmonize exquisitely to the strains of banjo, guitar and fiddle, singing cowboy and coyote tunes. Theatre 40 at the Reuben Cordova Theater, 241 Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills (on the Beverly Hills High School campus); Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m., through Feb. 27. (310) 364-0535. (Pauline Adamek)