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Off the King’s Road
Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Odyssey Theatre
Through August 2
Sometimes a bad play can be redeemed with smart direction, or with charismatic performers who breathe life into an otherwise hackneyed script. And sometimes, as in Off the King’s Road, Neil Koenigsberg’s comedy directed by Amy Madigan at the Odyssey Theatre, the execution makes things worse.
Matt (Tom Bower) is a widower looking to assuage his grief with a trip to London, a city he and his deceased spouse had once explored together. He rents a bedsit in a small, nearly empty hotel run by the chipper Freddy (Michael Uribes) who serves as front desk clerk, bell-boy and all around commiserative tipster for this depressive American traveler. The only other guest is a long-time resident, Ellen (Casey Kramer), a slightly dotty middle-aged widow obsessed with her cat but not so obsessed that she hasn’t thought to inquire about Matt’s marital status and availability for romance.
Matt, however, barely notices Ellen except for her persistent requests for help locating her missing feline. Instead he’s preoccupied with Sheena (Maria Zyrianova), a willowy hooker from Zagreb, for whom he buys a glittery expensive bracelet after only one or two visits. He also seeks solace with a blow-up doll, whom he cuddles when back in his room on lonesome nights.
Matt’s loneliness and his efforts to make the most of his remaining years is a story worth telling, but Koenigsberg’s script is so riddled with forced dialogue, stale riffs (such as an inflatable sex-doll) and carelessly constructed characters that we don’t give a hoot.
The flimsiest of these characters is Sheena – as drafted by the playwright, a remarkably inexpert sex worker (though I don’t think that’s what Koenigsberg intended) who’s all attitude when Matt, an elderly client, asks for some chat and affection before getting down to the nitty-gritty. Later she’s astonished when he presents her with a bracelet – a puzzling reaction from someone in her line of work. Zyrianova ‘s predilection for posturing makes this character seem that much more artificial.
As Freddy, Uribes struggles with his British accent, otherwise affecting a circumspect and ironical manner that seems borrowed from Hugh Grant.
The production’s greatest liability is Bower’s listless lack of presence in the lead role. This veteran performer seemed oddly uncomfortable throughout. Only Kramer as the sweet but dowdy cat lady manages to eke laughs from this lifeless comedy. And designer Joseph Slawinski’s sound adds a dramatic dimension pretty much lacking anywhere else.
The Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., W.L.A.; Fri- Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through Aug. 2. (323) 960-7712, www.plays411.com/kingsroad
