Lance Bagley, Scott Di Lorenzo and Courtney South (Photo by Tamira Pico)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
The Brickhouse Theatre
Through April 27
RECOMMENDED
Who among us has not felt overwhelmed by a digital age that enslaves so many of us to our sundry electronic devices? Fear of being without a mobile phone has been dubbed “nomophobia,” short for “no mobile phone phobia,” in the UK since 2009 while studies and news stories abound on how our devices are specifically designed to be addictive. All the better to lure us onto commercial platforms that exploit us financially and psychologically, transforming many of us into docile internet zombies.
For middle-aged dad Jake (Scott Di Lorenzo), this sentiment manifests in anxiety that his teenage daughter Peanut’s (Courtney South) apparent addiction to her cellphone and social media is alienating her from him and the rest of the world. Desperate to stage an intervention, Don enlists Stan (Trevor Murphy), an old friend and college collaborator in leftist “guerilla theatre,” to produce a socially conscious play exposing the evils of the internet and its corporate-influenced algorithms – a sort of “Clifford Odets for the millennials.”
Instead, what ensues in writer/composer Stephen Gilbane’s musical under Darrin Yalacki’s engaging direction is a wily social satire that is downloaded with laughs. Jake’s idea is to channel the iconic 1945 film “The Lost Weekend” and portray Don Birnam (Lance Bagley), the protagonist whose life is derailed by alcoholism, as hooked on the internet instead of booze. Don’s constant twittering away on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X — you name it, he has the app – is driving him and his girlfriend Helen (Jess Spruiell) apart. He acquiesces to Helen’s wish for a weekend together in Vermont sans cell phone, tablet, and laptop to save their relationship (“A Quiet Little B&B”). But can he survive?
In, ahem, meta fashion, Gilbane alternates scenes of Jake and Stan writing their show with the actors playing out their creators’ outlandish plotlines. While updating the time setting, Gilbane maintains the noirish milieu of the original film, from the black and white costumes by Susan Eiden and Yalacki to the snappy ripostes and staccato line deliveries of a hardboiled 1940’s movie melodrama. Gilbane also keeps key characters from the film in his work.
With no devices at hand, Don becomes desperate as he suffers from withdrawal, leading him on a comic journey to get “the monkey off his back.” Don’s search for a fix leads him to a local bar, where the sympathetic bartender Nat (Murphy) advises him that cell towers are banned in the town (“The Downfall of Man”). He then cozies up to Gloria (a coy Lauren Faulkner), a sultry redhead with a smartphone to spare but who wants no part of Don and his frantic behavior (“Put That Thing Down”). Eventually he is reduced to scrounging in a back alley where a mysterious Stranger (South) deals in illicit data and leads Don in a hilariously frenetic dance (“A Quite Important Person”).
While not possessing a strong singing voice, Bagley’s comedic timing is on point in portraying the nervous Don’s unraveling. Spruiell hits the right notes musically and comically in an over-the-top rendition of Helen while Faulkner is a suitably feisty femme fatale. South plays several diverse roles with ease, and Murphy and Di Lorenzo also are credible as long-time buddies. While the message calling for moderation in using our electronics is absurdly delivered, it still rings true on how to maneuver any of our vices – and devices. Now excuse me but I just have to answer this text.
Write Act Repertory @ the Brickhouse Theatre , 10950 Peach Grove St., N. Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru April 27. www.onstage411.com
