Adonis Williams, Stephen Bridgewater and Kevin M. Walsh (Photo Courtesy of The Irish Curse 2.0: The Diverse Curse)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Broadwater Black Box
Through August 3
RECOMMENDED
The penis — aka, dick, schlong, prick, Johnson, pecker, willy, and many others — stands at the center of this updated version of Martin Casella’s 2010 comedy/drama. The “curse” of the title refers to the tattered myth that Irish men have very small appendages. But the persistent belief is that size does matter for some — well — many fellows (and ladies), and that length and girth can be a source of boastful pride for some and monumental angst for others.
It’s for those who endure the painful burden of having short shafts that Father Kevin Shaunessy (Stephen Bridgewater) hosts a weekly support group in the cluttered basement of his Brooklyn Heights church. It’s a sundry group of men, each with their own sad revelations about the impact their shortcomings have had on their lives, and after the pro forma introduction, each man shares his story.
Joseph (Kevin M. Walsh), is a regular attendee, a lawyer and a married father of two, whose wife left him for a man who could satisfy her sexually; Levi (Rick Baldwin Tanaka), is an Asian-American student who constantly brags about all of his imagined conquests, and stuffs a sock in his crotch for a faux bulge; Stephen (Adonis Williams) is a tall, muscular African-American who is an undercover cop and is gay, but he limits his sexual activities to giving blow jobs because he has a “pop gun instead of a pistol”; Kieran (Jake Montgomery), is an Irish lad and newcomer to the group who is a virgin and is desperately in love with the woman he is to wed, but is paralyzed with fear that she will reject him. Even Father Shaunessy, in a gripping segment, adds his own story.
There is plenty of bawdy humor, clichés and stereotypes that circulate during this show. But the script is at its strongest and most compelling when these men scuttle the laughs and discuss the pervasive, unending pain and feelings of inadequacy that they continuously experience. These dark, emotionally charged moments hit the hardest. The play is well directed by Steve Chivers who draws convincing performances from the cast.
The Broadwater Black Box, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sun., 3:30 pm; thru Aug. 3. https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/walsh-bridgewater/the-irish-curse-the-diverse-curse Running time: One hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.
