Lynn Mannino (Photo by Jess Esa)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Nest @ Noisy Nest
Through September 28
John Kolvenbach’s dramedy glimpses the strength and fragility of the family bonds of two young adults who confront winds of change that are sounding through their lives.
Aging parents frequently pose a daunting challenge for adult children who must assume the role of looking after them, and so it is for Albert (Neo Barnes). His father Leo Ledger (Will Kane), a gambling addict and alcoholic, is a contentious sort who does not take softly to being told what to do. After years of working to make life comfortable for dad, Albert is ready to leave and tackle the responsibilities of college. He is bookish and quiet, qualities that have not gone unnoticed and unappreciated by classmate Lucy Whitney (Avery Bebon), who one day in the school library strikes up a conversation with him. Not long afterwards, they become lovers.
She is from an affluent family where care and emotional nurturing were not in abundance. In a poignant scene during Thanksgiving, Lucy’s embittered mother Margaret (Lynne Mannino), aided by a stack of martinis, relates the sordid particulars of her marriage to Lucy’s father, a man that was an alcoholic and never amounted to much.
Albert is determined to settle down with Lucy, but money problems abruptly arise, and he is suddenly drawn back into the dysfunctional world of his father without any means of breaking free.
Goldfish, ultimately raises more questions than it answers, and feels in some strange way unfinished. The finale holds no surprises, but it does offer some level of satisfaction.
This production has significant concerns that need to be addressed. The rectangular space that director Amanda Bird stages this play in is an acoustical nightmare (the sound of traffic often forcefully intrudes). Audience members are seated in chairs opposing walls, and the three venues in which the action occurs are in this small area. The scenes with Albert and his father take place at one end, while the other end serves as the library setting and Lucy’s home, with a bed in the middle. For some reason, it is often difficult to hear the dialogue in the Ledger household. The performances are good, with the exception of Barnes, whose Albert is too subdued and colorless in crucial moments that instead demand a studied intensity.
The Nest @ Noisy Nest, 148 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills. Opens Fri., Sept. 12; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru Sept. 28. https://www.thenestla.org/goldfish Running time: 90 Minutes with no intermission.
