Graham Brown and Dustyn Gulledge — Photo by Kelsey Risher
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Actors Company
Through March 17
New York City’s trip. theatre ensemble brings their off-beat sex and romance saga to L.A., after a lengthy run in Chicago.Co-authored by Graham Brown, the group’s artistic director and founder, with Nathan Faudree and Lisa Roth, it’s a frenetic romp through the sexual and romantic indulgences of a group of adults struggling with relationship issues. Brown (who also directs), portrays a playwright who falls for an actress (Eve Danzeisen), who shares an apartment with two lesbians (Zoe Simpson Dean and Ariana Anderson), one of whom has a bi-sexual sister who shows up (Bevin Bru), complicating matters. Also, Brown initially has a fling with a young gay man (Cameron J. Oro), whom he encounters on a night out, which doesn’t end well. Oro is eventually paired with another gay male (Dustyn Gulledge).
For two acts, we follow this disparate bunch through nights and days of assignations into bedrooms, domiciles, bars and restaurants while they work out the thornier issues of sex and romance. It gets very messy and confusing, with the storylines frequently (and awkwardly) segueing into one another. But the show does have its moments of poignancy and humor, although we only ever glimpse the surface of these characters, and the play tilts towards sitcom.
The stage is bare except for five standing martini tables where cast members assemble and sometimes interact with audience members. Melding elements of metatheatre with a-play- within-a-play format doesn’t always serve the production well, especially in the unwieldly, ponderous first act, which is strongly in need of reworking.
The performances on balance are good. Of special note is the spirited singing of Marian Frizelle.
Actors Company, 916 A North Formosa Ave., Los Angeles; Thur.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through March 17. Running time: two hours with an intermission.
