Six Characters in Search of a Play 

Reviewed by Terry Morgan 
Celebration Theatre 
Through March 25 

RECOMMENDED 

There’s little that chills the blood of a theatre critic more than the three words “one-man show.” When these things are bad, they tend to be especially so, and unlike a usual play, there’s nothing else to distract one from the spectacle. On the other hand, when they’re good, they place the focus squarely on great writing and performance and can be very satisfying. This is the case with Del Shores’ new show, Six Characters in Search of a Play, where vignettes of various people from Shores’ life and imagination make for a quite funny and entertaining evening.

Shores, self-described as “a minor celebrity in the gay community,” says he started life out as “a fat little liar” who grew up to become a storyteller. His “colorful” family includes such people as Aunt Bobby Sue, a racist Republican who, in her own way, supports his “deciding to be gay,” and his mother Loraine, delusional in her last years and convinced that Orson Welles is filming a porn movie in a hospital basement. Other people he describes include actress Sarah, who is distressed to have to audition for the role of “Ugliest Woman Alive.” Marsha is a lesbian who assists him after a monkey attack, Yvonne is a bluntly rude waitress, and Jimmy Ray rounds out the group as a redneck who finds himself unexpectedly attracted to “Channing Tater.”

Shores is a likeable performer who immediately charms the audience. His vignettes are more a form of story-telling than a dramatic performance, but they are some great stories and he revels in them. Sarah, who derides the U.S. for being “full of mean assholes” and wants to die before Trump becomes president, is a rich comic creation. By contrast, his portrayal of his mother Loraine is tender and sad, as he watches “the biggest influence on his life and career” lose her grip on reality. Finally, his Jimmy Ray, a character surprises himself with hitherto unknown passion, is boisterous and inspired.

Director Emerson Collins wisely focuses more on Shores’ acting than on his stylistic flourishes, but there are little moments where changes in the lighting (design by Matthew Brian Denman) offer subtle and effective support. Shores’ strength is as a writer, and he’s reliably witty and sometimes hilariously amusing. This production presupposes some audience knowledge of his work, and his portrayals of women are a bit similar, but these are quibbles. This is a very enjoyable show, and audiences will love it. 

Celebration Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave., Los Angeles; Mon. – Tues., 8 p.m., (Sun., 7 p.m. March 25 only, no performance on March 5); through March 25. www.celebrationtheatre.com. Running time: approximately one hour and 25 minutes with no intermission.