The Ants
Reviewed by Terry Morgan
The Geffen Playhouse
Through July 30
Horror is not a genre that has traditionally worked well in theater. There are certainly some outliers such as The Woman in Black, but overall spooky fare is thin on the ground, theatrically speaking. Thus when I read that the Geffen Playhouse was producing a “horror play” called The Ants this season, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, it isn’t really a horror play; it’s more of a social message work with a bit of hi-tech thrown into the mix. Ramiz Monsef’s writing is pretentious and clunky, the pacing is ponderous and despite impressive production value and a compelling basic premise, it ends up as a lot of sound and fury, signifying very little.
Nami (Nicky Boulos) has recently been fired from his job at a fast food restaurant and is looking for a place to stay. He shows up unexpectedly at his brother Shahid’s (Ryan Shrime) expensive house in the hills, hoping to crash for one night and get something to eat. Shahid chides him for not being more responsible, but then relents and shows Nami all the defensive capabilities his “safe house” can muster to impress him. Shahid’s wife, Meredith (Megan Hill), returns home, not thrilled to find Nami there. She sends Shahid out to get almond milk, and shortly thereafter is alarmed to see that Shahid was attacked by a group of homeless people at the foot of the hill. Soon a mob is surrounding her house, demanding entry, and she and Nami must decide how they intend to survive.
Boulos is a personable presence as Nami, but he’s working hard to compensate for a heavy load of unbelievable dialogue marking him as a down-to-earth guy who legitimately issues cliches such as “I’m starvin’ like Marvin!” Shrime is effective as the judgmental Shahid, and Jeremy Radin does amusing work as the hapless Pizza Guy. Hill is very good as the selfish and hateful Meredith, excelling as the “self-made” rich person who will go to any lengths to keep what she sees as hers. Hugo Armstrong is fine as various voices in the show, although why you would cast one of the best actors in Los Angeles and then keep him offstage until the curtain call is beyond me.
Director Pirronne Yousefzadeh delivers a professional show, with strong work from her ensemble and she benefits from an energetic production design. Carolyn Mraz’s sterile house set conceals surprising secrets, Pablo Santiago’s lighting is dazzling, Hana S. Kim’s projections provide visual excitement and John Nobori’s sound design provides booming menace, but sadly it’s all in service to a play that disappoints.
Monsef’s concept of a conflict between the haves and the have-nots set in a heavily fortified house is a solid and potentially interesting one, but the execution of the idea is very uneven. The beginning of the play features a monologue from a deranged person that never really pays off in any satisfying way, even when we later discover who that person is. At two hours and twenty minutes, the production outstays its welcome by a lot, and in horror or even a thriller, timing is crucial. The philosophical discussions in the play between representatives of the wealthy and the poor seem very simplistic, and the actions of at least one of the poor characters come off as seriously unbelievable.
I wanted very much to like this play, but it works neither as horror nor drama, and instead ends up as a well-intended misfire.
The Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles; Tues.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 3 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2 & 7 p.m.; through July 30. https://geffenplayhouse.org. Running time: two hours and twenty minutes with one intermission.
