All Night Long

Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Open Fist Theatre Company
Through October 21

Not every work of art is designed with the mass audience in mind. Some are experiments or explorations, or maybe just a diverting goof. All these terms might apply to John O’Keefe’s All Night Long, a kaleidoscopic fever dream of a play that revels in erudition and silly humor but doesn’t hew to a traditional dramatic structure or feature a standard resolution. Open Fist Theatre Company’s revival of this 1984 work features a strong cast and great direction but will probably be best appreciated by audience members looking for something different.

With their big suburban home and their two and a half kids, Jack (Phillip William Brock) and Jill (Alina Phelan) are the epitome of the 1950s nuclear family. Eddy (John Patrick Daly) is a teen who gets beaten up at school, while Tammy (Caroline Klidonas) is struggling to find her own identity. Kid 2.5, Terry (Cat Davis), fits the “half” definition as she is half human and half…something else. Over the course of a day, the family reconfigures itself over and over again as they deal with such issues as incest and existential terror.

Phelan is outstanding as Jill; her bold performance is the motivating force that powers the show. She succeeds at every challenge the role poses: she can be maternal or hateful, sexy or harsh, gliding from one persona to another effortlessly. Her tirade against her children is a cathartic highlight. Brock is also quite good, his harmless dad routine just barely masking a guy who harbors bad intentions for all his kids.

Daly brings nervous energy to the role of Eddy, somersaulting onto the couch instead of merely sitting down upon it. Eddy’s awkward sexual feelings provide some uncomfortable moments in scenes with his sister and mother. Klidonas, on the other hand, projects confidence as Tammy, although the character is unsure of who she really is. A monologue wherein she turns what should be a disturbing recollection of her father sexually abusing her into bragging is expertly done. Finally, Davis is good as Terry, but the role seems underwritten compared to the other characters.

Director Jan Munroe serves this difficult piece well, switching styles and moods in a trice and guiding his game ensemble through the thematic acrobatics of the script. His bi-level set is skillfully wrought — sprinkled with surprises and creatively lit by Ellen Monocroussos. Tim Labor’s sound design is impressive, whether it’s generating background noise or ominous bass thumpings that rumble the theatre.

O’Keefe’s writing is literate, funny, dark and absurdist, and I often enjoyed his intellectual playfulness. Perhaps it’s deliberate that this work has no real plot or definable meaning, and that the characters feel more like symbols than people for an audience to connect with. That’s fine. People who are more interested in wild creativity and the flow of ideas than in traditional dramatic works may well love this play. I found it somewhat frustrating, but I also appreciated it — and I think that Open Fist is to be commended for a terrific production of a tricky work. That said, the play is also probably too long, a bit self-indulgent and I imagine might be too flamboyantly odd for a general theatre audience. If it sounds like your cup of tea, however, I encourage you to check it out.

Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Oct. 21. www.openfist.org. Running time: approximately two hours with an intermission.