Debra Kay Lee and Andrew Neaves (Photo by Michael Merton)
Reviewed by F. Kathleen Foley
Neo Ensemble Theatre
Through November 7
A natural successor to the reboot of Beetlejuice, Neo Ensemble Theatre presents the world premiere of I’ll Be With You Shortly at the Loft Ensemble Theatre in North Hollywood.
As in Beetlejuice, a portion of the play is set in a waiting room in the afterlife where a well-manicured Receptionist (Rebecca O’Brien) welcomes the recently deceased. The righteous are bound for empyrean realms, while those who have misspent their lives are sent to pits of boiling bile and other unpleasant locales down under.
For Carrie Kirkheimer (Alexis C. Martino), the transition isn’t so cut-and-dried. A Type A go-getter who can’t stand inaction, Carrie, the victim of a car crash, is inexplicably forced to linger in this in-between place while others are quickly expedited to their final destinations.
In director Carol Becker’s antic staging, Michael Merton’s extremely busy play ranges from the witty to the ill-conceived. The action occurs both in the afterlife and the present-day world we live inwhere the final moments of a wide range of characters are on display. Some of the scenes pay off quite cleverly, as the bloodied and battered newly-departed parade through the reception area in wardrobe supervisor Martino’s clever costumes. Other scenes drop off confusingly, never really connecting to the sometimes-confusing swirl of characters and circuitous plot.
Becker efficiently orchestrates over a dozen actors, most of whom play multiple roles. It’s a logistical feat — still, she can’t quite smooth over the shortcomings of an uneven cast, or the feeling that the sum of the play adds up to less than its clanking moving parts.
Martino gives a workmanlike performance as the stranded Carrie, but it is O’Brien who most impresses as the surprisingly Zen “temp” who, when pressed for explanations by Carrie, spouts convoluted formulae that would stagger Einstein. Playwright Merton scores with this well-written eccentric, as does O’Brien, who balances the ethereal with the astringently matter-of-fact in the standout turn of the evening.
The Loft Ensemble Theatre, 11031 Camarillo St., North Hollywood. Tues.-Thurs., 8 pm thru Nov. 7. https://neoensembletheatre.ticketspice.com/ill-be-with-you-shortly Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.
