Theater Reviews; The Comedy of Errors, The Birthday Boys, The Woodpecker
Also A Night at the Oscars, Women in Shorts and more
JUMP/CUT Depicting the crushing debilitations of mind and spirit that are by-products of bipolar disorder is no easy task. Neena Beber's 2003 play makes a worthwhile effort to invoke compassion for those coping with the jarring highs and soul-destroying lows of the illness, but an overabundance of on-the-nose dialogue about the nature of depression gives way to tidily scripted outpourings of emotion that render the play a forced contrivance bereft of an essential resemblance to real life. Paul (Brett Mack) lets best buddy Dave (Michael Perl) crash on his couch, a living arrangement born of misguided but entirely plausible loyalty on Paul's part. Dave is, after all, an old friend in need, a young man who can't get his life on track due to the crippling effects of mental illness. Paul, a filmmaker whose nose is pressed firmly and admirably to the grindstone, has fun sharing the same space with Dave for a short while, until Paul meets Karen (Melissa Lugo), falls in love and soon finds himself ensnared in a love triangle. It turns out that Karen is more attracted to the romantic availability and neediness of a depressive than the unavailability of a go-getter. The narrative engine breaks down beyond repair when Paul and Karen decide to make Dave's depression the subject of a film project. Focus quickly gets split between romantic entanglements, the hardships of the creative process and serious mental illness. The acting is solid across the board and director Paul Millet keeps the pacing sharp and quick. Arena Stage at Theater of Arts, 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., thru March 26. (323) 595-4849. (Amy Lyons)
A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS Well past the autumn of their careers, aging Hollywood film star William Chance (Brian Pietro) and his has-been art house actress wife, Diana (Susan Kohler), are invited to make a cameo appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. They meet with their flamboyant TV commercial agent (an engaging Ernie Brandon), are flattered by an adoring network production assistant (Jason Kaye), perform their spot and enjoy a nostalgic dance. Pietro and Kohler's twin portraits of doddering affability and fading feminine vanity offer sporadic instances of sentimental charm. But in the service of Peter Quilter's stale stab at Noel Coward–esque comedy, whose idea of wit is repeated allusions to Viagra and Preparation H, such moments only underscore the play's lack of authenticity, insight or discernible purpose. Ralph Romo's overly literal set and Jennifer Still's pointless video sequences only exacerbate the clumsiness of Diane Carroll's staging. Malibu Stage Company, 29243 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 5 p.m., thru March 20. (310) 589-1998, brownpapertickets.com. (Bill Raden)
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WOMEN IN SHORTS Performed by Joanna Miles and Louise Davis, this sextet of short plays by different writers and directors rarely rises above workshop standard. The setting for all is New York's Central Park. By far the most involving is "Magic Rabbit," written by John Fazakerley and directed by Robert Burgos. It's an encounter between a homeless woman (Miles) and the wife of an infamous embezzler (Davis) whose apartment building is currently besieged by the press (the allusion to Ruth Madoff seems obvious). Gradually it comes to light that the homeless woman also was once a person of privilege, and that the now-hounded matron once worked for her husband. The play's ironic message comes across in the wealthy woman's dawning recognition of the humanity she shares with this shabby person she initially scorns. Jim McGinn's "Divorces R Us" unwinds like a comedy sketch with a predictable twist; under Bennett Cohon's direction, Davis plays a dissatisfied housewife, with Miles a divorce counselor who advises her on how to squeeze the most from her husband. In "Sisters," by Gloria Goldsmith, directed by Judy Chaikin, a fiscally responsible woman (Miles) clashes with her profligate spending sister, who cons money from others. Writer Tom Baum's "The Great Outdoors," directed by Asaad Kelada, presents a conflict between a reclusive widow (Miles) and her exasperated, resentful daughter (Davis). In "Park Strangers," by Brian Connors, directed by T.J. Casanova, the performers play two actors in a commercial for a vaginal itch product. In need of pruning, "Ladies of the State," by Miles Brandman, directed by Matthew Reilly, is set pre–World War I; it depicts an anxious mother (Davis) pleading in vain with a well-connected acquaintance (Miles) to help get her son exempted from the draft. In general, excepting small character adjustments, the performances in each piece evoke a sameness and little directorial creativity. Much of the writing comes off like an exercise, with varying success. Working Stage Theater, 1516 N. Gardner St., L.A.; Fri-Sat, 8 p.m., Sun, 3 p.m., thru March 20. (800) 838-3006, brownpaper tickets.com/event/143986. (Deborah Klugman)
GO THE WOODPECKER In playwright Samuel Brett Williams' angry drama of despair, we are introduced to a coterie of tragic characters who virtually line up to debase themselves and turn a potentially pleasant existence into a horror show. Idealistic young Jimmy (Brian Norris) loathes his family life: He's a college dropout who can't find a job and spends his days snorting glue rather than face his miserable existence in the trailer home he shares with his parents. Mom Martha (Tamara Zook) dreamed of being a singer but now lives in a pill-stoked daze, while abusive dad Harold (Mark Withers), in a wheelchair due to a long-ago accident, is so suffused with bitterness, his insane rages frequently threaten to spill over into incoherence. Jimmy pins his hopes for the future on joining the Army, which he believes will turn him into the hero he has always dreamed of being. However, when he arrives in Iraq, events don't turn out as expected. Williams' play so piles on the brutality, bitterness and rage that the piece occasionally threatens to short-circuit into camp. Still, in director Jon Cohn's darkly moody staging, the drama's sense of existential rage is urgent and evocative, while its ferocious emotional charge outweighs the contrived plotting. Norris offers a particularly strong and moving performance as the increasingly tortured son, almost appearing to age and become hollow before our eyes. Compelling turns also are offered by Zook's spacey white-trash mother and by Withers' almost-too-monstrous dad. A Mutineer Theatre Company production. Studio/Stage Theatre, 520 N. Western Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 7 p.m., thru April 3. (323) 871-5826. (Paul Birchall)
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