"CURTAIN CALLS" #257
By Pat Launer
09/19/08
The Night
Sky is dark and big:
No Exit for a Good Body – or a Fat Pig.
THE ABDOMEN MONOLOGUES
THE SHOW: The Good Body, the latest (2004) effort from Eve (The Vagina Monologues) Ensler, which
premiered in
THE STORY: “I have been in a dialogue with my stomach for the past three years,” Ensler wrote in the play’s preface. So why do we have to be
part of that conversation? Well, Ensler thinks we’d
enjoy being privy to her narcissistic fixation. So she obsesses about her
bodily imperfections, and consults or channels women around the globe, most of
whom have the same concerns, and many of whom take drastic action (from
starvation to surgery). “Be bold and love your body,” she concludes. “Stop
fixing it. It never was broken.” Nice sentiments, but even at the end, I’m not
buying that the playwright/central character accepts it – or her poochy stomach.
Ensler isn’t breaking
any new ground here (as she certainly did with Vagina, bringing a word that had been hidden away right out into
mainstream conversation – not to mention newspapers, marquees and billboards).
We’ve heard it all before, from the horrific things women will do to themselves
(cutting off toes to fit into Manolo Blahniks in this country, to surgical insertion of
leg-lengthening rods in Asian nations). There are a few wise women represented
here: the African whose deep connection to the earth makes not loving your body
incomprehensible; the beatific Indian who embraces her "jadhi" (fat) because her husband loves it -- and her.
We are all well aware of how much the media fans the flames of
beauty/body mania, but Ensler’s advice to “step off
the capitalist treadmill… and stop trying to be anything, anyone other than who
you are” isn’t enough, and isn’t believable. Perhaps her underlying message is
that, if women weren’t so busy watching their bellies grow, they might be able
to change the world. But that idea is neither spoken nor credibly supported.
Some of the monologues in The Good Body are taken from the words
of well-known women like Helen Gurley Brown, editor of “Cosmopolitan.” These, Ensler admits, are “interpretations” of her interactions,
not transcriptions. Some characters are based on real people; others are
invented. When the play premiered, Ensler played all
the roles, as she originally did with The
Vagina Monologues. But now that it’s getting around, anything goes.
THE PLAYERS/THE
PRODUCTION: At the San Diego Repertory Theatre, Deanna
Driscoll plays ‘Eve.’
What’s most engaging is watching two actors transform themselves and
truly disappear into wildly diverse characters. Foreman is especially strong as
a wizened, self-loathing Helen Gurley Brown; a New Yorican
street-girl who loves her booty but fears “the spread” (though the accent is
variable); and a statuesque Masai woman of dignity
and wisdom. In her assorted incarnations, Libby nearly walks away with the show
– as a wealthy Jewish housewife who had a painful vaginal-tuck in order to help
her husband maintain an erection (one of the play’s most entertaining – and
poignant – segments); as a leather-lesbian body-piercer; as the happily round
Indian woman waiting to get on a Mumbai treadmill, and more.
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg has directed with humor and sensitivity. Jennifer
Brawn Gittings’ costumes are wonderful. Victoria Petrovich’s scenic design is an imaginative lineup of
headless, perfect-body manikins, each completely painted in blue and white
designs, the overall motif that’s underscored by lovely lighting.
The 80-minute production is more beautiful than meaningful. But
audiences get plenty of belly-laughs (pun intended) and that’s good enough for
some. That and great performances, that is.
THE
LOCATION: San Diego Repertory
Theatre, through September 28
PORCINE PREOCCUPATION
THE SHOW: Fat Pig, the 2004 romance by Neil LaBute, the least
likely person imaginable to write anything even vaguely sentimental, known as
he is for applying cruel wit to his amoral moralizers. This is a
Bad Boy LaBute, whose misogynistic movies include “In the Company
of Men” and “Your Friends and Neighbors,” is also known for plays such as bash and The Shape of Things. We’re in the midst of a sort of LaBute-fest; ion theatre is about to present bash and In a Dark House (10/2-11/1).
THE STORY/THE PRODUCTION: Fat
Pig tells a sad but simple tale: Tom, a normal-sized, upscale professional
guy, meets up, unexpectedly, with Helen, a super-sized woman; and he falls
hard. They tumble into a relationship, and into bed. He’s never been happier;
for once in his life, he feels real, relaxed, comfortable in his skin. But then
the outside world intervenes, in the form of two much nastier (LaBute-ish) characters: mean-spirited slacker Carter and
Jeannie, Tom’s jilted, bitchy, ultra-slim ex-girlfriend. They malign and are
malignant. They use the play’s title liberally – and epithets even worse than
that. Can Tom withstand societal pressure? Is our obsession with thinness more
obscene than abject obesity? LaBute is exploring new
territory in his quest for the cruel.
The writing is
spectacular. These are genuine, credible conversations and attitudes, even if
they aren’t exactly commendable. LaBute loves to
troll the dark underside of human nature.
Carla Nell takes
risks that pay off big-time in her portrayal of Helen, a woman who’s bright,
funny, self-effacing, and unapologetically loves to eat (which she does a lot during
the intermissionless play). Nell makes Helen affable and heart-rending. Brendan
Cavalier is pitch-perfect as Tom, smart and smug, ardent and embarrassed. Ryan
Ross and Jenna Dawsey nail those vicious Gen Xers who think they can do or say anything with impunity.
They’re characters we love to hate. And yet… even some women in the audience
agreed with their arguments at times. And that was more shocking than the (sort
of) surprise ending.
Kym Pappas’
direction is solid, focused on the arch language, not on unnecessary business.
The seven scenes play out with minimal fuss (set design by Pappas and Chris Renda). The costumes (Teri Brown) are just right, especially those skin-tight
numbers for Dawsey (though would a working gal really
wear a black bra under a white blouse to the office?).
It’s a very
well-done production, one that will definitely leave you talking and thinking..
and looking in the mirror (the real and metaphorical one).
THE LOCATION: InnerMission Productions at OnStage Playhouse, through
October 4
Hellfire
THE SHOW: No Exit, Jean Paul Sartre’s 1944 seminal, existential play; originally
published in French as Huis Clos (‘behind
closed doors’). This is the translation/adaptation by Paul Bowles. The play was
controversial when it was published (and not only because there was a lesbian
character) and it remains provocative today.
THE STORY: “Hell is other people.” That’s the premise and the story. As each of
three individuals is led into an attractive but sparsely appointed and
windowless drawing-room, we learn that they’re damned souls, recently deceased
(in fairly unsavory ways), and we watch as their ability to view ‘the other
side’ diminishes and disappears. They come expecting fire, whips, thumbscrews,
torturers. But they soon realize they’re doomed to eternity with each other,
each the brutally honest mirror and emotional tormentor of the others, each
preying on the others’ fears and foibles, refusing to be, say or do what the
others most need. There’s no need for mirrors when your companions are
reflections of your worst nightmares and darkest secrets, and they’re unwilling
to perpetuate the illusions of self you created in life. In the final analysis,
Sartre is saying, who we are is the sum total of all our actions. While we’re
alive, there’s still the possibility of choice and change. For these three,
it’s way too late.
Brutal. Disquieting. And still powerful.
Structurally, there’s a kind of genius to the play, with its multiple
levels of scrutiny: characters are pretending to be something they’re not;
actors are pretending to be those characters. The characters’ seek out mirrors
to avoid the judgmental gaze of their companions; and their attempts to fool
their observers are carried out under the gaze of the play’s spectators.
THE PLAYERS/THE
PRODUCTION: The Diversionary production is very strong. Esther
Emery’s direction shows a firm grasp on the characters, though they don’t
change over time quite as one might like, as they gradually strip away the
masks and artifice, and reveal the distasteful characteristics that landed them
in this hell to begin with. Still, the performances are all potent and
convincing. Kevin Morrison maintains a Cheshire-cat smile as the Bellboy who
knows all, tells little. Steven Lone is Cradeau (a
name that appears as Garcin in other productions), a
ruthless journalist, a womanizer who ‘s obsessed by bravery and honor, but is
truly a coward. His performance is wonderful, very ‘30s noir, a tough cookie
who inevitably crumbles.
The set (Jungah Han) is sleek and elegant, a
gray monochrome of endless stripes and squares, glaringly lit (Jason Bieber). The costumes are outstanding: era- and character
defining. It all fits together perfectly. 90 minutes of (delicious, dramatic)
hell.
THE
LOCATION: Diversionary Theatre,
through October 5
Star-Struck
THE SHOW: Night Sky, the 1990 drama by New York playwright/novelist/librettist Susan Yankowitz, whose provocative works, A Knife in the Heart, Phaedra
in Delirium ,Terminal and Foreign
Bodies, have been seen in San Diego. This is the first production of the
first small theater residence at La Jolla Playhouse; Mo’olelo
Performing Arts Company was a wise first choice, as they are masterful at
attracting new audiences. In this case, they partnered with the San Diego Brain
Injury Foundation, which helped to sell out the run almost before it began.
THE BACKSTORY: Yankowitz was a long-time collaborator of
legendary theatermaker Joseph Chaikin. When Chaikin had a stroke during his third open-heart surgery,
he became aphasic, losing his ability to string words together. When I met and
interviewed him some years ago (he died in 2003), having worked with many
aphasics in my prior career, I was struck by his ability to be profound and
articulate even when reduced to single-word utterances. Most folks in that
state merely deal with the day-to-day minutia. But Chaikin
had an amazing ability to be both philosophical comprehensible. At some point,
he asked Yankowitz to write a play about aphasia,
with a female astronomer at its center. Yankowitz
obliged, and Chaikin directed the first production.
THE STORY: Anna is a brilliant, fast-talking, self-absorbed astronomer. After an
argument with her pre-teen daughter and another with her boyfriend, an aspiring
but as-yet unsuccessful opera singer, she slams out of the house and gets hit
by a car. The accident results in aphasia, a loss of speech and language due to
brain injury. The mysteries of the mind are juxtaposed with the mysteries of
the universe; both are filled with black holes. Anna struggles to regain the
most human of all traits: communication. Her extreme frustration is only
matched or exceeded by that of her family. Her colleague, who takes over her
college courses, represents those who can view the sky, but not the folks down
below; he avoids seeing her for a long time after the accident. Sarah is both
indomitable and incorrigible. And all she wants to do is present her paper at a
major international astronomy conference.
The play has beautiful language and images; multiple references to
stars, skies, understanding and communication foreshadow the disaster to come. Yankowitz paints a deeply felt, realistic portrait of the
fears and disappointments inherent in the painfully slow process of regaining
speech and language skills. The astronomy information, dispensed as class
lectures, is a tad more simplistic, but Yankowitz
uses it effectively to make her cosmic points.
THE PLAYERS/THE
PRODUCTION: The production superbly supports the play; like
Anna’s speech, it’s stripped down to the bare essentials.
Adorable Bibi Valderrama, age 11, is
convincing (if a tad young) as Jennifer, a pouty pre-adolescent who’s had it
with her mother’s self-involvement even before the accident. Justin Snavely is the other astronomer, giving us rock-bottom
basic lectures that provide background and analogues. His awkwardness when he
finally does visit Anna is extremely well played. Nicole Gabriella Scipione plays a variety of women, both tough and tender --
doctors, therapists and others who help (or hinder) Anna’s relentless quest for
perfection (though she’s forced to settle for improvement).
Tom Andrew is marvelous as the loving, faithful but guilty boyfriend,
trying to hold onto his hat (and his relationship and sanity) on the emotional
rollercoaster ride of this trying journey. But ultimately, the piece belongs to
THE
LOCATION: Mo’olelo
Performing Arts Company at the Weiss Forum Studio, through September 28
Where There’s a Will..
I caught the penultimate performance of The Complete Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged),
Shall We Dance?
… Not Dancing with the Stars… I was an MC for the 2nd annual Malashock
Thinks You Can Dance event, which was another great success (I loved
talking to all the dancers after they did their thing, but I would much rather
have been dancing, like I did last year – and won!). The winner of this year’s
event was Dr.
NEWS AND VIEWS
… I Do, I Don’t… Oops!
In my last column, I noted the recent spate of gay marriages, and forgot to
mention Cuautéhmoc Kish and Jorge Gutierrez, who tied the knot in June and had a “Celebration of
the Document” in August. Anyone else I forgot?
…Voices of
…Captions… Broadway
San Diego is offering an American Sign Language interpreted performance of The
Drowsy Chaperone, Saturday, September 27 at 2pm. That matinee will also
be captioned (a new service from BSD).
… Catch the Trolley…
…Free Acting Classes… taught by Holly Ritter, a former New York actor
who also has an MA in Expressive Therapies and is one of the few Nationally
Registered Drama Therapists in San Diego. Her classes are funded by the San
Diego Community College District Continuing Education Older Adult Program, but
they’re open to anyone of any age (18+), “beginners and experienced alike.” Her
Rolando class has been ongoing for awhile. The new La Jolla class (at the
…Free Night of Theater… For the second year, the San Diego Performing Arts League joins
100 cities nationwide for the Free Night
of Theater program, running from October 16-November 2. the seventeen local
participants include the La Jolla Playhouse, Cygnet Theatre,
… Get me a Grant… A new study of local private
foundations examined the patterns of giving to
v
v
v
v Despite the economic downturn, almost 28% of respondents said their
corporate giving was likely to increase during the next two years. Only 10%
thought their giving levels would decrease.
v From 2001-2005,
The complete report is
available at: http://www.sandiego.edu/soles/documents/SDGiving_Report_FINAL.pdf
'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)
Night Sky – harrowing journey through the mysteries of the universe – and the mind;
first-rate production
Mo’olelo
Performing Arts Company at the Weiss Forum Studio, through 9/28
Fat Pig – disturbing play, very well done
InnerMission Productions at OnStage Playhouse, through 10/4
No Exit – 64 years after it premiered, still packs a wallop; excellently
executed
Diversionary Theatre,
through 10/5
The Good Body – underwhelming play; overwhelming performances;
San Diego Repertory Theatre,
through 9/28
Boomers - you gotta love it, even if you aren’t one.
Fabulous band, super songs, high-energy performances
Lamb’s Players at the
Horton Grand Theatre, through 11/30 (and perhaps beyond)
In repertory on the Old
Globe’s Festival Stage, through 9/ 28
The Merry Wives of
In repertory on the Old
Globe’s Festival Stage, through 9/28
There
may not be too much fall color in the leaves… but there’s lots of color on
© 2008 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.
For nearly 25 years, Pat Launer has been the only regular broadcast theater critic in