Center
Stage with Pat Launer on KSDS JAZZ88
THEATRE REVIEWS:
“American
“What We Talk About When We Talk About
Love” – laterthanever productions
AIRDATE:
JANUARY 16, 2009
A piece of the American
Dream contains the expectation of happiness, love, satisfaction and success.
Operating in different social strata, and in very different ways, two current
productions – a classic and a world premiere – rip into the fabric of the
fantasy, revealing the dark thoughts and desolation underneath. The two authors
are 20th century icons. In the short stories of Raymond Carver,
blue-collar folks lead what Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation.” The
characters in David Mamet’s plays are prone to rather noisy desperation.
His foul-mouthed men are
rough and coarse. In one of his earliest efforts, 1977’s “American Buffalo,” the
centerpiece is a trio of small-time crooks -- and major league losers.
Mild-mannered Donny owns a junk shop, chock full of detritus and discards, the
hangout for dullard Bobby and explosive Teach. In their brash, clumsy way, with
an eye on future wealth and happiness, they all want to steal a potentially
valuable coin collection. Since this is MametLand,
things won’t go at all well.
Compass Theatre has
scored big with Mamet before, and under the muscular direction of Ruff Yeager,
this one’s a winner, too – aggressive, suspenseful and riveting. The cast is
terrific, and the physical action is potent and intense.
There’s a lot less
activity in Carver’s minimalist stories; most of the energy roils beneath the
surface. Often, there’s no dialogue at all. So the adaptation of these terse
creations, by Federico Moramarco, local writer and former SDSU professor, is
that much more impressive.
Two couples waft through
three stories set in succeeding decades, from the 1970s to the 1990s -- which
is actually after Carver’s death. These are couples in crisis, individuals at
an existential crossroads. They may be honeymooners or brand-new lovers, but
already, we can see a warp in the weave of their relationship; just as they’re
starting out together, they’re on the verge of separation, showing sure signs
of alienation and disenchantment. The provocative title of the piece, “What We
Talk About When We Talk About Love,” is also the name
of one of the stories. The interactions and permutations among the couples are
interlaced with talk of mortality and death, infidelity and hurt, all
accomplished while copious quantities of alcohol are consumed. One of the joys
of these enigmatic stories is how much biting humor adapter Moramarco, and his
fellow director Glyn Bedington, have brought to the Laterthanever production. These are delectable,
if deeply disturbing stories, excellently enacted by a consummate cast.
These two shows don’t
paint pretty pictures of American life. They often make us squirm, and also
force us to consider the power of friendship, loyalty, love -- and the lethal use of language.
“What We
Talk About When We Talk About Love” runs through February 1 at the
“American
©2009 PAT LAUNER