L.O.V.E.R. 

Reviewed by Julio Martinez 
Zephyr Theatre 
Through May 12

In L.O.V.E.R., actress Lois Robbins chronicles her libido-fueled evolution from a teenage Long Island Jewish princess to an accomplished and happily married working actress and mother. Robbins’ pleasant (if not overly adventurous) one-woman performance unveils her sexual history as a kind of laundry list. She recounts a string of lustful boyfriends who awaken the girl’s sexual urges, only to be relentlessly thwarted by her over-protective father. However, things move quickly forward when she is finally free from familial intervention, happily off to college and then to the big city. Robbins moves smoothly through her teen years and early twenties without emotional scarring, except perhaps from her mother’s dire warning:“A woman is nothing without a man.” 

Robbins is a skilled storyteller, moving effortlessly through her narrative, punctuated with subtle comedic timing. The journey, happily, is one of self-discovery and maturation. Robbins initially describes her youthful adventures as being comprised of “Lust, Orgasm, Virility, Erotic, Rapture” (an acronym of the play’s title). Her series of lovers run the gamut from charmers to knaves. Her accumulated experiences with men bring her to a place where she is ready to accept a relationship, one in which she finds fulfillment in monogamy and motherhood. That newly realized viewpoint is put to the test when she learns she has an illness that will challenge her concept of herself as a woman and partner. Now referring once again to the title, demonstrating newfound strength and hard-won wisdom, she describes a true relationship as one that is “Lasting, Open, Valued, Emotional, Real.”

At times in her performance, Robbins takes on the male persona, assuming a low register and husky voice, which does little to differentiate the individual personalities. Despite this shortcoming, director Sonia Sebastian succeeds by keeping the action innocently playful. The story is played out on a well-crafted living room set that showcases the design skills of Pete Hickok (set), Donny Jackson (lighting), Joseph ‘Sloe’ Slawinski (sound), and Nick Santiago (projections).  

Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue,  Los Angeles; Thu.-Sat, 8 p.m; Sun., 2 p.m.; through May 12. (323) 960-5770(323) 960-5770(323) 960-5770960-5770 or www.plays411.com/lover. Running Time: 60 minutes, no intermission.