Basement Folly
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Theatre Forty
Through October 26
What if Phoebe and Chandler from Friends had gotten married and settled in Los Angeles? Hey, stranger things have happened. After 20-plus years of wedded bliss they could well have turned out like the middle-class couple at the heart of playwright David Datz’s muddled domestic comedy. And while Datz’s premise about how genuinely caring but clueless people try to resolve the dilemma of the unhoused is a worthy one, his peppering in sundry sublots distracts from an otherwise thoughtful storyline.
The play has a sitcom feel, with Aubrey (Caroline Westheimer) and Adrian (Matt Landig, slightly resembling Matthew Perry) having fallen into the rut of many a long-term couple. So, the gullible Adrian is astonished, then thrilled, when flighty Aubrey, inspired by his “masculine presence,” attempts to lure him to the bedroom rather than explore the mysterious noise in the basement. Her attempt at seduction is revealed as a ploy to hide that fact she has let an unknown person, whom she has not even seen, camp out in their basement.
Aubrey’s surreptitious effort leads to some witty dialogue and situations between the squabbling duo and additional quirky characters. But there are more secrets revealed under their suburban roof, resulting in mounting conflicts between Aubrey and Adrian, their daughter Alex (Tammy Mora), and Alex’s girlfriend Kim (Kat Kemmet). Adrian’s old derelict buddy Ray (Michael Robb) also pops in seeking shelter, which dredges up remembrances of how his and Adrian’s past debauchery, covert and otherwise, has affected Kim’s trust in her husband.
Each subplot could deserve its own play, but Datz has written only one, so when a subplot gets interesting, another is dropped in our lap and the former languishes, with the resolution of each, as well as the main plot, feeling forced. Thankfully, director Carol Becker and the ensemble mesh well together with the material on hand, with the chemistry of Landig, Westheimer, and Mora as the beleaguered but loving family holding up Datz’s inconsistent but well-meaning effort.
Theatre Forty, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills; Mon. Wed., 8 pm; Sun., 7 pm; through Oct. 26. https://theatre40.org
