Quack

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Through November 18

RECOMMENDED

Eliza Clark’s new play, directed by Neel Keller at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, disappoints at the top but broadens and deepens as the story develops. It’s about a celebrity doctor with a long-running TV show whose career begins to fracture after his careless comments lead to the death of two children. The show features Dan Bucatinsky as Dr. Irving Baer, an obnoxious narcissist infatuated with television fame and the errant belief in his own infallibility.

For about 25 minutes Bucatinsky, with much of the dialogue, plays it for laughs, and the production sputters along like a stale sitcom. That changes, however, when Baer’s nemesis — a freelance journalist, River Thumbolt (Shoniqua Shandai), who’s written a scathing article about his career — shows up in his office. Commencing with their confrontation, the production transforms into a relevant drama that examines people’s responsibility for the consequences of their actions and the ongoing backlash against professional women from angry and insecure men.

Baer’s troubles had ignited after he suggested to a group of mothers that vaccinating their children should be a personal choice rather than an inviolable mandate vital to protecting their own child and others. But rather than express remorse when two youngsters die, Baer indignantly rants and whines and blames their moms for making a bad choice. The public outcry that’s generated by the tragedy, and by Thumbolt’s subsequent article, impact not only on his reputation but on the revenues of his wife’s business — not coincidentally a brand of diet products that line up with Baer’s advice to his viewers about losing weight.

Thumbolt, at least a generation younger, presents herself as a fearless professional on the rise. She’d been a fan of Baer’s as a teen, along with her now deceased mom, but her view of him as an adult has changed. Formerly obese, she’s since lost 200 pounds and written a bestseller about it — and now looks to challenge his authority, which she does rather well.

There are several other key players in the mix: Kelly (Jackie Chung), Baer’s assistant, a soft-spoken registered nurse who appears on air with him and acts as a sounding board when he goes ballistic, and Rock Silver (Nicholas D’Agosto), leader of a rabid anti-feminist group who advocates a return to traditional male/female roles (read dominant and submissive) and takes up Baer’s cause as a victim, supposedly, of predatory women. And Baer’s wife Meredith (a convincing Jessalyn Gilsig), is a brittle, take-no-prisoners achiever with a viperous tongue.

As writer, Clark has done a fair job of creating well-rounded characters. Jerk that he is, Baer makes a conscientious (albeit strained) effort to support Kelly’s aspirations, even though he resents them, and his initial reaction to Rock Silver’s insidious macho is disbelief and disdain. Shandai’s ambitious journalist behaves with crisp assurance but proves vulnerable, while the misogynistic Silver, however repugnant his principles, is presented with canny restraint.

Leaving aside Bucatinsky’s missteps at the top, (which would not be hard to correct with some redirection) the actors deliver skillful performances in each of their roles. The most relatable among them is the accommodating Kelly. Her turnabout is predictable from the top, but Chung’s portrait is so authentic that you don’t feel cheated even when you know what’s going to happen.

Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City; Tues.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 1pm & 6:30pm; through November 18; (213) 628-2772 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Running time: two hours with no intermission.