Odessa

Theatre Asylum Lab
Through June 29

RECOMMENDED:

In this world premiere written by John Tyler McClain and directed by Carly D. Weckstein, Earth Up Top is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the casualty of an unspecified disaster that has left bottles of Clean scarce. Below ground, Alice (the marvelous Joanna Bateman), wearing a tattered blue dress, tends her plants and practices the waltz, awaiting the return of Cliff (Bruce A. Lemon, Jr.), with whom she barters sexual favors in exchange for Clean. Their tenuous existence is upended by the capture of Preacher (Bethany Esfandiari), who turns Alice’s head with tales of Odessa, a survivors’ enclave, sparking a power struggle with Cliff.

Alana Cheuvront’s costumes infuse a gritty realism with just the right touch of whimsy, while the lighting — worklights-on-wheels operated by the actors and able to swing around as required — create the illusion of intimacy interrupted by glaring harshness. Bateman’s performance dances on a line between delicacy of feeling and barminess, strengthening the allusions to Alice in Wonderland (originally titled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground). Bateman isn’t matched by her costars, however; Esfandiari seems as though she hasn’t quite committed to the unscrupulous rambler’s brutish philosophy. But despite threatening to be unremittingly dark, under Weckstein’s direction the script evokes surprising humor and even a glimmer of redemption.—Jenny Lower

The Illyrian Players Theatre Company at Theatre Asylum Lab, 6230 Santa Monica Blvd. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1686

The Landstuhl Chronicles

Theatre Asylum
Through June 28

Named for the largest United States military hospital on foreign soil and the main treatment destination for soldiers wounded in Iraq, this play — written, directed, and produced by Benny Lumpkins — interweaves tales from veterans with background on the ill-fated invasion.

Unfortunately, the episodic structure is a hot mess that requires far more development before it will be ready for a mainstage production. The characters receive little individuation or arcs, apart from a brief rap session at a nightclub in which each soldier awkwardly declaims his or her story while standing before the group. The muddled timeline casts a woman (Caroline Sweet) who does not appear to be Hillary Clinton serving as president, or possibly press secretary, issuing politically improbable statements in the wake of Bush’s Mission Accomplished speech. A diverting but thematically pointless scene involves a soldier (James Jenkins) picking up a German lesbian (Sarah Brooks). The cast flounders without adequate direction, retreading generic narratives while neglecting to shape or elucidate the war’s complex historical reality.—Jenny Lower

BLJ Productions at Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1747

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