Four

Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
The Broadwater, Second Stage
Thru June 24

Clé Holly’s 60-minute etude studies four musicians in a string quartet — and their callous manager — as they wrestle with the principles and financials of remaining or disbanding.

On a spartan stage with four chairs and four music stands, the play opens with a gesture: Second violinist Roger (Michael Lamb, authentically and endearingly stuffy) places a white rose on the vacant chair of his late husband, first violinist Leonard who, we later learn, was “instrumental” in recruiting this quartet. (Leonard just recently died.) The group had a pact that if one left the ensemble, they would disband. However, the group’s manager (Bong Cabrera) sees a financially lucrative future for the group playing at weddings and other events, if they can accept his newly recruited first violinist Kiki (Melissa Folzenlogen).

Under John Coppola’s direction, Folzenlogen is the single performer who brings an instrument to the stage and plays it well. The others mime their instruments to recorded music. This conceit is a bit, well, dissonant, but eventually settles in, stylistically —much in the way that the brash, practical and talented Kiki settles in after a hate-at-first-sight introduction to the surviving three musicians.

Violist Violet (Katherine Lee) struggles to endure the prospect of unemployment in New York City should the group disband, as well as the inexplicable insults of manager Hassim, who insists that violists remain in the shadows. (Why would he so diminish her if he wants to keep this group together?) Meanwhile cellist Ayodele (the charismatic Tonoccus McClain) keeps his calculations close to his chest. Ultimately, the players agree to work for three months before making a final decision, so the clock is ticking.

As it does, playwright Holly serves up a series of truncated scenes that sketch out the emotional dynamics of all concerned, often through confessions that feel at odds with the play’s otherwise staccato rhythm. Also, it’s hard to distinguish whether Hassim, as written, is really as over-the-top desperate as Cabrera plays him.

The play’s profundity lies in its combination of erudition (playwright Holly’s knowledge of the classical music world is impressively apparent) and allegory: The tension between the individual versus the collective shown here can also be extended to so many aspects of our culture beyond music, reaching a head with the mask mandates during Covid.

Still, the stakes for whether this group remains or disbands have not yet been sufficiently solidified. What exactly has been lost should they go their separate ways? That question is teased out as a kind of curiosity, but the play’s final impact remains muted.

The Broadwater, Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs., June 22, 9:30 pm; Sat., June 24, 5:30 pm; thru June 24. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9825?tab=tickets; Running time: one hour with no intermission