Lear/Loman
Reviewed by Terry Morgan
2Cents Theatre Group at the Hollywood Fringe Festival
Through June 30
It begins with mad old King Lear (Leon Russom) standing on a table and raging against yet more “cataracts and hurricanoes,” gleefully flipping a set of double birds at fate, only to be interrupted by Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, who yells at the august monarch to shut the fuck up and stop ranting every time it rains. It’s a fun and clever opening scene to Kate Schwartz’s Lear/Loman, a play in which the king and Death of a Salesman’s Willy Loman (Bruno Oliver) are placed together in literary Purgatory.
Russom is very much in command of and at ease with the character, and his frequent transitions from imperious anger to meek kindness are quite effective. Oliver is in good form as the blustery, deluded Loman, and the two actors bring considerable skill to bear upon the material. The enjoyment of this show derives mainly from watching these two performers interact.
Unfortunately, while the basic concept of the show is solid, the writing is uneven. The amusing moments are too few, and the dramatic sections wherein our protagonists learn lessons from watching scenes from their pasts are somewhat inert and pat (hint: they should have been better fathers). Also, for a short show, there’s a goodly amount of padding — I’m looking at you, drawn-out discussion on iambic pentameter.
Broadwater Mainstage, 1076 Lillian Way., Hollywood; Sat., 6/15, 11:30 a.m.; Thurs., 6/20, 5 p.m.; Sat., 6/22, 12 a.m.; Sun., 6/30, 1:30 p.m.; through Jun. 30. https://hff19.org/6217. Running time: approximately one hour and five minutes, with no intermission.
