Independence

The Lounge Theatre
Through June 28

RECOMMENDED:

Photo by Vernée Watson

This is a striking revival of Lee Blessing’s 1984 drama about a family caught in the swirls of crisis and change in a small Iowa town. At the heart of the play is Evelyn Briggs (Shelley Phillips), the mother of three daughters, who is emotionally unstable, manipulative and grasping. Her daughters all suffer in various degrees from her warped, near fetishistic need to dominate their lives. The fuse is lit when the eldest, Kess (Kat Muldoon), a lesbian and college professor, returns home after four years to find her youngest sister Jo (Jenny Simpson) pregnant and wearing a neck brace, the result of an attack by her mother. Middle sister Sherry (Lauren Benge), a wild-child and loose panty who is into “meaningless relationships,” and is an aspiring sculptor, is never short of hurtful words or droll mockery. Evelyn is a master at tossing the apple of discord among her children, always with the intention of controlling them and engaging in her destructive ritual of attraction and repulsion.

This is pegged as a coming-of-age story, but it really is about breaking free of bonds, even at the expense of those we love. These characters are complex, beckoning, and masterfully sketched by Blessing, and the performances are outstanding under Vernée Watson’s exacting direction.—Lovell Estell III

V. Watson Productions at The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1588

The Mermaid Who Learned to Fly

The Elephant Theatre at Theatre Asylum
Through June 28

Kyla Garcia’s solo show starts out as a fairy tale, with Garcia initially assuming the persona of an enchanting pixie, cum lilting Irish brogue. It would have been a much better show had she packaged an equal amount of whimsy into the narrative that follows.

After a time, she spins off an onerous yarn about a child named Victoria, an aspiring writer, and then tracks her progression through school, scraps with teachers, first love, and so on. Garcia assumes multiple characters throughout, but the transitions are often jagged and confusing. The most baffling, ponderous segment of the show — and the most painfully protracted — concerns Victoria’s trials and trauma over a lesbian love affair. Garcia is an energetic and charismatic performer, but this uninspiring material doesn’t resonate at all. Jessica Lynn Johnson directs. –Lovell Estell III

The Elephant Theater, Theater Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1887

These reviews are offered via a partnership between L.A. Weekly and Stage Raw. To maximize coverage of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the two publications are sharing reviews and funding responsibilities. Stage Raw is an Emerge Project of the Pasadena Arts Council, with other funding coming from a combination of advertising and individual donors.  For the L.A. Weekly, please visit www.laweekly.com