Loose Ends

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Victory Theatre Center
Through June 11

Michael Weller has a knack for writing about specific cultural time periods. In Moonchildren he peered into the turbulent, “hell no, we won’t go,” drug-fueled, free love 1960’s via a year in the life of a group of idealistic college students. Here, the spotlight is on the tenuous hangover days of the 70’s, sketched out in the nine year relationship between Paul (Jeff Kongs) and Susan (Ally Gordon), whom we first encounter making cozy in their swimwear on a beach (a serviceable, barebones mockup by Kitty Rose) in Bali in 1970. Paul is fresh out of the Peace Corp: restless, seeking a fresh start, and wanting something more than a “bunch of stories and a ticket home,” while Susan is just knocking around with her friend Janice (Romy Cutler-Lengyel). Susan and Paul reluctantly part ways, but as becomes evident later in the play, they can’t seem to stay out of each other’s orbit.

In the years that follow they meet again, fall in love, move in together, marry and divorce. During this time, Paul’s attempts at finding a career path have borne fruit, and Susan’s single-minded drive to become a photographer has been equally successful. But the wheels start to come off the relationship when Paul is eventually struck with an intense desire for fatherhood, and Susan can’t buy into the idea, mainly because she is selfish and too busy with career priorities.

Along the way, there is a host of relatives, friends and co-workers that bounce in and out of scenes and the couple’s lives. The most entertaining of these are Doug and Maraya (Mark Richardson, and Carly Waldman), a raucous pair with a flair for sex and procreating, along with Selina (Ioanna Meli), Paul’s attractive co-worker,and the couple’s sounding board, and Lawrence (Benjamin Burdick), Susan’s flamboyant boss.

This years-long chronicle is not without interest or humor, but by the time 1979 rolls around (where Paul visits Susan’s cabin for some post-divorce sex and reminiscing), discernible ennui has taken root due in large measure to director Jack Stehlin’s stodgy pacing. (Stehlin does, however, draw out solid performances from the “Far Out” cast, one of two in this double cast production). Rather than a tale that emblemizes the period, it is more accurate to say that this is essentially a play about the bitter and sweet of heterosexual relationships among flighty, self-absorbed people, which is a story for any age.

The New American Theatre at the Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through Jun. 11. www.NewAmericanTheatre.com . Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes with one ten minute intermission.