Good Fishermen Know A Lot About Sex
Reviewed by Nikki Munoz
Hudson Guild Theatre
Through November 3
Good Fishermen Know A Lot About Sex gets its title from one of its musical numbers, performed when two fishermen in a boat sing about the connection between fishing and sex. The title — and the musical number — are misleading, as the play’s ties to sex end with this one song. Instead of sex, the musical has a lot to do with drug addiction and how deeply it affects the family of an addict as well as the addict himself. While the play’s message is one of strength, the production, unfortunately, is weak.
Well directed by Alexa Karas, Good Fishermen Know A Lot About Sex was written by Karas (story and lyrics) and Konner Scott (music and lyrics). Karen (Dorothy Dillingham Blue) and Frank (Peter Miller), along with their two adult children, Ally (Kelley Pierre) and Nate (Ryan Lee Hughes), board a fishing boat for a family bonding trip, accompanied by fishermen Big Tuna (Jimmy Clabots) and Keisho (Scott). The tensions within the family begin to play out, and are revealed to be a consequence of Nate’s drug addiction.
Karas’s staging is exceptional. The entirety of the play takes place on a small boat, which is set up on the small stage of the Hudson Theatre. Karas utilizes the space in such a way that it never feels crowded, despite having all six characters consistently on stage together. Further, all of the characters’ movements feel natural and true to their relationships, whether they are between family members or strangers just meeting. Her skilled blocking is heightened by Brandon Baruch’s effective and striking lighting design, which heightens the impact of the characters’ movements, especially at transitional moments.
Yet, as playwright, Karas is unable to bring the same natural quality to her dialogue as she does to her staging. The characters’ verbal interchange is either stereotypical (Ally asserting that she is not a little girl anymore to a stubborn Frank) or excessively outrageous and without proper foundation (Nate getting angry at Ally unprompted). Moreover, while Nate’s addiction is supposed to be the root of each of these conflicts, the connection is never really made clear.
Poorly enacted musical numbers also contribute to the production’s unnatural, somewhat awkward tone. While Karas’s staging of non-musical sequences is proficient, she struggles to choreograph movement during the songs. In one, “Dear Brother,” Ally sings about not wanting to lose Nate to addiction. While Ally sings, Nate moves around her in a way meant to depict the ups and downs of their sibling relationship, but the choreography is aimless and ineffective.
The emotional root of the play — the family’s pain and desire to push through an extremely difficult time — is clear overall but becomes muddled by poor execution.
Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Nov. 3. https://www.onstage411.com. Running time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
