Crack Whore, Bulimic, Girl-Next-Door 

Reviewed by Paul Birchall 
Road Kill Productions 
Through April 7 

I arrived at what I assumed was the theater for this show, pushed past the milling horde of smiling audience members, and bellied up to the box office, loudly exclaiming, “Hello, I am here for “Crack Whore, Bulimic, Girl Next Door, please!” The box office person gaped a moment, and returned, “Um, but we’re doing The Mousetrap here!” So, dear reader, perhaps a word of warning:  Crack Whore, Bulimic, Girl Next Door is actually playing in the upstairs theater. 

In fact, playwright Marnie Olson’s play is a decidedly dark work that takes considerable effort to penetrate effectively. In it, three actresses seemingly portray various aspects of one woman’s psyche. There’s sultry Girl Next Door (McKenzie Eckels) who’s fearful over how she’s objectified, as well as Bulimic Woman (Gloria Galvan), who sublimates her rage and despair by binging and purging. And there’s also Crack Whore (Elisabeth Blake) who is so self-loathing she can’t bring herself to bounce back from hitting bottom again and again. 

As each incident unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that the characters represent demons that get in the way of the joy that every person is entitled to. Bulimic Woman battles her self-image problems, while Crack Whore just struggles to find reasons not to kill herself. Girl Next Door has difficulty with her public image as well. Finally, we realize that these three figures do not represent a complete composite individual. Rather, they are the scars and wounds we carry with us that block our emotional health. 

Olson’s drama becomes increasingly hard to watch — rather like being privy to the tunnel vision of someone’s mental illness, with no mitigation. Negative traits are focused on, while human compassion, tenderness, and the possible redemption through other people’s love or assistance are ignored. And while this kind of story might succeed as a compelling Sarah Kane-like drama, Olson’s writing skills are a little too unformed to support the deep emotions she is attempting to explore. Much of the piece comes across as a little simplistic; the situations and language are top heavy with banal turns of phrase that lack the poignancy to inspire empathy. 

Director Jennifer Novak Chun’s staging boasts some engaging acrobatic moments, as the three performers weave in and out of character, at times portraying supporting characters or opposite internal emotions. But the play essentially sounds the same note over and over, and crafts an unrelentingly plodding mood. Galvan’s turn as the bulimic character feels the most multidimensional; the other two performers come off more like grim tormentors, with little nuance.

Belfry Stage, 11031 Camarillo Street, North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; through April 7. www.funprodstix.com Running time: 70 minutes with no intermission.