No Place Like Gandersheim

No Place Like Gandersheim 

Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Skylight Theatre
Through June 25

RECOMMENDED 

There have already been films and other works of art concerning the “Me Too” movement, but No Place Like Gandersheim is the first play I can think of that talks about its aftermath. That isn’t even the main subject of the piece, which concerns the plight of a woman writer trying to get her voice heard without censorship or meddling — but its inclusion (along with the coincidental timing of the current writers’ strike) makes for a compelling script. Oh, and did I mention it’s a time-travel comedy? The world premiere production at the Skylight Theatre is very entertaining and benefits from an excellent cast, especially a consistently hilarious performance by Shannon Holt.

In the 10^th-century German town of Gandersheim, nun Roz (Jamey Hood) has written a play. The abbess Berga (Shannon Holt) has allowed it to be produced, with nuns from the abbey, such as Madlen (Lauren Gaw), performing in it. Berga’s relative, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto, is even coming to see it, although Berga and Madlen are concerned that the subject matter might be too raunchy for the time period. Things aren’t much better for Roz when she travels via some magic keys to our current day, where her TV show “The Order” is getting intrusive notes from the incoming new studio head, Mallory (Holt).

Hood, an actor whose work I’ve admired for a long time, is very good here as the resilient if frustrated Roz. She’s effective in humorous moments, like medieval wheeling-and-dealing to convince people her show is actually pious (“You like Jesus, right? Yeah, we all do.”) and in serious ones, in which Roz wonders if women writers will ever be truly free enough to tell their stories. Gaw is tartly amusing as the uptight Madlen, and Charrell Mack exudes charisma as uploaded future producer Vita. Holt, an LA theater treasure, is a marvel in two roles, bringing enormous energy and brilliant comedic skill to the show. She gets the most out of every line, as in a moment in which Mallory wonders why they can’t include nudity in the nun show.  (“Don’t they ever take a shower?”) It’s one of the funniest performances I’ve seen this year.

Director Randee Trabitz gets strong work from her cast, keeps the pace percolating and pulls off an impressively smooth transition from the medieval abbey to the modern-day office. Dement’s writing is witty and sharp, and overall Gandersheim is a successful play — but it does seem as if she’s taken on more subjects than can be fully explored in a ninety-minute show. For example, I thought it was interesting that both men and women attempt to change Roz’s writing, but instead of examining this further, the play chooses to deal with motherhood and child/parent dynamics, which seemed less on topic or successful. And some quibbles — we never learn why these keys allow Roz to time travel, nor does the title seem to connect up to the play in any meaningful way. That said, this is still a very enjoyable production with a fantastic cast.

Skylight Theatre, 1816 ½ N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles; Mon. 7:30 p.m. (except May 29), Sat. 8:30 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m.; through June 25. https://skylighttheatre.org. Running time: one hour and thirty minutes with no intermission.