Megan Stogner, Luis Quintana, Chas Harvey, Willa Fossu, and Stephanie G. Galindo (Photo by Ashley Randall)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Actors’ Gang
Through June 8
Over the years, The Actors’ Gang has seldom allowed the boundaries of convention to impede the creation of exceptional, dynamic theater. Written and directed by Artistic Director Tim Robbins, Topsy Turvy is an engaging comical blend of Greek theater and vaudevillian spectacle, integrated with original songs and live music.
The play opens with an upbeat song performed by a Greek chorus. But soon afterwards, their contented existence is roiled, and the mood turns somber when a figure garbed in a black robe enters and announces that a mystery illness (pandemic?) is spreading rapidly and that the group must disperse. Fear, isolation and loneliness take over, and only the intervention of the Gods can provide hope for the restoration of the chorus.
And the Gods do come, along with a parade of odd-ball characters, laughs, and animated shtick. Making an appearance is Bacchus (Scott Harris, who also does a raucous turn as Onan and Dionysius), Cupid (Luis Quintana), Aphrodite (Guebri Van Over), and the Aztec Goddess of fertility, Coatilique (Stephanie Galindo). Acting as an MC of sorts is the boisterous Distracto (Chas Harvey), who would give the best of carnie barkers a run for their money.
Yet, along with the comedy, the Deities also channel serious (and at times, deeply disturbing) reflections on society and the world; the importance and meaning of community, and the myriad afflictions attendant with living in a perpetually distracted, disassociated world, where a computer screen too often is a surrogate for meaningful interaction and contact.
More often than not, Robbins’s writing is spot-on and richly insightful, bringing into sharp relief the societal malaise of our times, notwithstanding some segments that are overly wordy, unnecessarily drawn out and merely troll for laughs.
In addition to the script, Robbins composed original songs, for which musicians Mikala Schmitz and Danica Pinner (cellos), and David Robbins (guitar and percussion) has created a spirited musical tapestry. The cast all perform with infectious enthusiasm.
The Actors’ Gang Theater, 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City. Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm. (Thursday pay what you can) Running time: one hour and forty minutes, with no intermission . www.theactorsgang.com
