Curtain Calls

Published: Tuesday, March 2, 1999

Tuesday, March 2, 1999

Curtain Calls

"Want's Unwished Work or a Birthday Play"

Through March 27

Sacred Fools Theater

Hollywood

Tickets: $10

(310) 281-8337

"Yo, Bard! We're gonna beat your butt!" is the slogan for "Want's Unwished Work."

Not quite. Not even close. No wonder they call themselves the Sacred Fools theater company! It doesn't take a genius to know that it's impossible to beat the Bard.

"Work" is a modern romantic comedy set almost completely in iambic pentameter, an interesting enough concept.

The main plot centers around three female college students going off to a secluded house with their women's studies professor to learn about the benefits of sisterhood.

Slightly amusing is the entrance of two of the students' boyfriends who protest the departure of their lovers.

Unfortunately, instead of developing the characters and keeping the story understandable, playwright Kirk Wood Bromley adds random characters and circumstances such as a quartet of the different stereotypes of men and boyfriends who cross-dress to be able to see their loves, who actually have fallen in love with the other's man. The cast of 18 speaking characters is too large for the small stage

The Sacred Fools ensemble is abundantly talented, just bad at choosing worthwhile material. Staples of the production were Lydia (Shirley Rocca), a hilarious nerdy student, and Warren (Scott McShane), a jock boyfriend.

One mistake made by the casting director was the use the character Dick Skills, performed by Joe Hernandez-Kolski, of the quartet; a disgusting example of horny men, he gyrated his hips, stuck out his tongue, spat nearly every word he growled and yelled, and literally reeked with body odor.

The lead character, Corme, portrayed by Lauren Daniels, is also disappointing, full of sighs and dreamy eyes, and with no sign of the fighter that her character really is.

For all of Bromley's efforts at originality, the play ends being predictable and cheesy, leaving the audience with a bad taste in their mouths and hunger for real theater that doesn't try to outdo classic writers from centuries ago.

Andrea Dingman

Rating: 4

"Carry the Tiger to the Mountain"

Through March 14

David Henry Hwang Theater

Tickets: $20 to $27

(800) 233-3123

Like each movement of the martial art style Tai Chi, a play flows well when each scene melts into another. Carefully and deliberately, each thought continues into the next, and the words form unity around a climactic theme. When the pattern is broken, the message loses its full potential.

Such was the case in the East West Player's production of Cherylene Lee's "Carry the Tiger to the Mountain." Amid moments of striking drama and passion-filled dialogue, choppy disruptions in flow made the production less than perfect.

The play follows the true story of Lily Chin (Beulah Quo), the civil rights activist who made headlines after her son's brutal death in 1982. Situated in Detroit, Chin's story touched the hearts of every mother who could imagine the pain of losing a child as a result of a hate crime.

Certain metaphors both carried the play and hurt its integrity. Beautiful Tai Chi movements styled the drama from the scene of the beating to the depiction of Vincent (Reggie Lee) in heaven watching over his mother.

The theme of selling cars, also present in the play, didn't carry so well when the attempts at humor left an awkward feeling hanging over the serious elements presented.

Peppered with drums and the music of Motown, the contrasting moments of noise and silence furthered the moments of tension, pain and pride.

No moment remained as powerful as the scene in which Vincent entered into a fight with two auto workers who mistook Chin as Japanese and blamed him for losing their jobs. The act ended as Chin lay on the floor injured while red cloth symbolically draped the stage.

Although there were some cheesy moments of bad acting by minor characters, Quo's own performance carried the play with her charm and endearing spirit. Tapping into the heart of a real mother, her intense love shined through the sadness.

Calculated and true to spirit, "Carry the Tiger to the Mountain" proved worthy of the message it portrayed.

Michelle Zubiate

Rating: 7

"The Rivals"

Through April 4

Knightsbridge Theater

Tickets: $15, student and senior discount

(626) 440-0821.

A comedy of errors, "The Rivals" tells the story of Captain Jack Absolute (Christian Noble), a young military man and heir to the vast Absolute fortune, as he woos the rebellious Lydia Languish (Heather Bergdahl). While Lydia's pompous aunt, Mrs. Malaprop (Karesa McElheny), insists that she marry into wealth, Lydia instead spites her by marrying a poor man. Knowing this, Jack disguises himself as a penniless ensign to gain her affections. Things turn complicated, however, when Jack's own father (Robert Craig) suggests him as a suitor for the headstrong Lydia, and Jack suddenly finds that he is his own rival for her affections. Events quickly spiral out of control as he finds himself ensnared in an increasingly complicated web of misunderstandings and double-crosses.

Christian Noble remains in control as the scheming Jack, expertly manipulating the surrounding characters to meet his ends. Noble keeps the play grounded in reality, turning in a delightfully understated performance in contrast to the over-the-top antics of the lunatic supporting cast. Most of the laughs come courtesy of Tiger Reel as the hot tempered, nasal-voiced Irishman Sir Lucius O'Trigger, who emits a piercing squeak whenever he is startled. The buffoonish country bumpkin turned city sophisticate Bob Acres is played a bit too convincingly by Don Schlossman. Eric Anderson is also worth noting for his versatility in playing both Jack's prudish butler Mr. Fag and Mr. Acres' slovenly servant David.

The most entertaining subplot involves a Mr. Faulkland's constant questioning of his fiancee Julia's devotion. Unable to accept her love as unconditional, he devises a series of increasingly ludicrous tests to make her prove her affections. Raymond Donahey brings the right balance of maudlin self-absorption and hysterical ranting to Faulkland's insipid soliloquies. Diana Holdridge also stars as the patient, long-suffering Julia. It is in these scenes that the writing is truly inspired, mercilessly mocking Faulkland's masochistic whining.

The cast works well with what is essentially a lackluster script. The play could have gone much further; the comedy almost seems restrained and hesitant, as if director McElhany were afraid of offending the audience.

Things are all wrapped up a bit too nicely in the final scene, leaving the audience vaguely dissatisfied.

While by no means a great play, "The Rivals" makes for an entertaining evening. Competent direction and a good cast are able to elevate the rather conventional script to bring the audience a worthwhile performance.

Michael Rosen Molina

Rating: 6 Sacred Fools Theatre

(Left to right) Dallas Dickinson, Christopher Paul Hart and Caroline Gray Andres star in "Want's Unwished Work."

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