Grayce Toon and Johncarlo Zani (Photo by Ariana Savci)
Reviewed by Asa Fris
Trophy Wife at Crawlspace LA
Through March 29
Grayce Toon and Johncarlo Zani (Photo by Ariana Savci)
Theater is an incredible medium for dealing with suffering. Most if not all theater shines a light on some form of it, the result of some sort of conflict. When a production tackles even truly horrific subjects and circumstances (think Gloria by Brandon Jacob-Jenkins, Far Away by Caryl Churchill, and so on), the audience is offered either a chance to feel seen in their own suffering, or space to question how that suffering is allowed in our world. Whether accomplished through drama or comedy, the key to success is to handle it with sensitivity and truth.
Failsafe by Phil Carroll is about two isolated, mentally unwell young adults, Ivy (Grayce Toon) and Jones (Johncarlo Zani). The duo have an agreement: Ivy will sleep with Jones if he plans, and then joins her, in taking her life: a suicide pact. Trouble is, no matter what method they try, nothing works. Be it an act of God, or sheer bad luck, the duo suffers one failed attempt after another over the course of many weeks.
The script seems to feature a complicated relationship between two lost souls. Ivy and Jones need each other. Jones longs to be loved, and cherishes any chance for physical or emotional intimacy with Ivy. She, on the other hand, is physically and emotionally disgusted by Jones, but needs company to end her life. Yet, here’s the rub: Though she states she only chose him because she could control him, they both find moments of solace in each other. And if she were truly repelled by Jones, why couldn’t she find someone else?
Though this dynamic could be intriguing to explore, it is not the focus of director Lily Goldman’s vision. In this production, Ivy is eventually revealed as psychopathic, or at least suffering from severe delusions. Her actions seem only to be justified by a mentally unwell state.
The result seems more calculated to shock than to investigate. There are numerous scenes depicting the preparation, execution, or aftermath of suicide attempts. Goldman stages these moments in a haphazard manner. At times, these depictions are largely abstract and rely on a great deal of suspension of belief, either through minimalistic set pieces (design by Josh Moreno), striking colored lights (design by Aelin-Alexandria Nyx), or movement staged to represent the actual act of attempted suicide. For example, instead of drowning in a creek, they jump into two cyan kiddie pools, and mime swimming through the air. Equally as often, Goldman stages these moments hyper realistically, with real fluids and believable props. The result is void of cohesion or sensitivity.
One of these moments, a scene not found in Carroll’s script, presents Ivy brandishing a knife to her arm, unable to follow through with self-harm, presumably because she’s alone. There is no tact, no heart, no questions rendered, just the depiction of suicidal ideation as entertainment, and the act of self-harm as art.
Credit goes to Zani, who brings admirable empathy and compassion to Jones. He captures Jones’s downtrodden but hopeful nature, and offers many moments of comedic relief. There are two instances where Jones speaks alone to the audience, and both are captivating. The second instance, the retelling of his attempt to buy a gun, is well staged. Jones finds the gun captivating, and Goldman positions Ivy behind him — a clinging shadow, evoking the unseen influence of those with whom we’re entangled.
Crawlspace LA, 120 S. Vignes St., downtown LA; thru March 28. https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/failsafe/failsafe-thebroadwater Running time: approximately 90 minutes.
