Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer, Mariana Jaccazio and Zoe Molina (Photo by Bob Turton Photography)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Actors’ Gang
Through April 18
RECOMMENDED
Pierre Adeli, Adam J. Jefferis, and Mariana Jaccazio (Photo by Bob Turton Photography)
Director Cihan Sahin and the troupe at Actors’ Gang have done a first-rate job with this stylish revival of Elmer Rice’s expressionist classic. When it debuted in 1923, the public reception was tepid and reviews were mixed, but since then it has frequently appeared in college productions, and it seems especially pertinent now in a period where Artificial Intelligence is taking off to God knows where.
The central character is the luckless Mr. Zero (portrayed with consistent panache by Pierre Adeli) who, like so many of the gainfully employed of today, is stuck in a dead end job. For twenty-five years, he has labored as a bookkeeper at a store, never missing a day’s work, and has nothing to show for it except a modest existence, and a marriage to a neurotic, hunchbacked, screeching shrew of a wife (an excellent Zoe Molina), who, in the opening scene, rambles on incessantly with numbing trivialities, viciously lambasting her husband about his failures while the poor fellow sits silently on the bed and stares into space with the lifeless expression of a corpse.
Zero’s life is shallow, and we get an idea of just how shallow in a scene where he is seated opposite his co-worker Daisy (Mariana Jaccazzio, whom he lusts for), and his lurid inner world is laid bare, as is Daisy’s, who at one point chimes, “I wish I were dead,” In spite of the turmoil and dissatisfaction, Zero is quite proud of his spotless work record, so when he is summoned for a meeting with the boss expecting commendation and a raise, he is surprised to learn that he is being replaced with an adding machine, which the boss nonchalantly states “ A high school girl can operate.”
After which Zero snaps and murders his boss, which lands him in prison and slated for execution (by getting his head bashed in with a sledgehammer!) But death is the least of his worries. He awakens in a cemetery and strikes up a friendship of sorts with Shrdlu (a hilarious Adam J. Jefferis), who boasts about having killed his mother. He passes through the underworld where numerous ghouls are encountered, and is then transported to Elysian Fields, where he reunites with Daisy who, not being able to live without him, had killed herself. If there is one weakness in this production it’s in this Act 2 scene that is too protracted to be effective, all the more so when contrasted with what has come before.
The couple’s romantic moment doesn’t last, for soon after, Zero receives a lesson about the “reincarnation treadmill” from the garrulous Fixer (Brent Hinkley), and learns that he must return to earth and do it all over again.
Fine cast performances, particularly in the key roles, power the success of this production, along with Sahin’s sharp, workmanlike staging. The overall tone of the production is an alluring blend of circus and cartoon, with a dash of carnival and Kafkaesque horror, with masks and loud make-up utilized throughout to good effect. Credit goes to Rynn Vogel for imaginative costumes, Chris Bell for a sleek, functional set design, Bosco Flanagan for a robust lighting schema, and David Robbins for sound design and music.
The Actors’ Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Thurs. and Sat., 8 pm; Sun. March 29 & April 12, 2 pm.; thru April 18. https://TheActorsGang.com Running time: two hours, and ten minutes with an intermission.
