Possession: An American Serial Killer

Reviewed by Julia Stier
London Levine Pictures
Through November 5

London Levine Pictures’ production of Michael Levine’s Possession: An American Serial Killer gives a whole new meaning to the term bloodlust. Dark and sexual, this gruesome play – directed by Denise Devin – explores the actions of one of America’s most notorious killers.

When Lonnie’s (Anza Seller) life hits rock bottom, she makes a desperate call to a crisis hotline. After years of dealing with her bullying parents (Berna Roberts and David O’Hara), Lonnie confides in her call center operator that she welcomes a way out and wants to kill herself. As he calms her down, Lonnie begins to form a strange attachment to the operator, a young man named Ted Bundy (Chris Levine).

While some aspects of the story are true — for example, Bundy really did work at a crisis call center — Lonnie was not one of his real-life victims. This play takes place in 1971, about three years before Bundy’s murderous rampage is thought to have begun. This story is a fictional imagining of one of Bundy’s first kills.

Seller is excellent at sorting out Lonnie’s difficult emotions and many layers. Her struggle to make sense of her pain is very real. As her parents, Roberts and O’Hara capture the small-mindedness of uncaring, dismissive people. Levine plays an intense and brutal Bundy. However, by showing Bundy’s more sadistic side, the production doesn’t quite convey the charisma he was known for.

Surprisingly, there is little learned about this infamous killer. Lonnie’s story takes the lead, and we are given a more in-depth look at her life than we are at his.

The dark, intimate space draws the audience into the story. However, some of the technical elements muddle the narrative rather than enhance it. Many of the scenes begin in a disorienting blackout, and the video projections of lions that appear during Bundy’s more macabre scenes are a little confusing.

Due to its content, this production is definitely for mature audiences only. A portion of all the show’s proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles branch of Veterans Affairs.

Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Sun.-Mon., 8 p.m.; through Nov. 5. tedbundyplay.com. Running time: 50 minutes.