The Pilot Who Crashed the Party
Reviewed by Iris Mann
Broadwater Theatre
Through May 7
Playwright-director Paul Sand bills his new work as an off-beat homage to the drawing room plays of the 1930s, (the plays of Noel Coward such as Private Lives or Present Laughter would be examples of this genre of theater). The Pilot Who Crashed the Party is certainly off-beat, and it has elements of the genre; the action takes place in the modern-day version of a drawing room, namely the posh living room and adjacent library (beautifully designed by Jeff G. Rack) in the luxurious home of Sally (Jacqueline Wright), who is hosting her 50th birthday dinner party. In addition, the characters are mainly upscale individuals, and there is talk, rather exaggerated, of sexual exploits.
But the drawing room plays, alternately known as comedies of manners, often satirized their subjects, and it is hard to determine what Sand is sending up, if anything. Also, the genre is characterized by sophisticated, witty dialogue, and, while there are a few laugh lines, there are not many real witticisms in Sand’s story. All in all, it is difficult to discern just what the playwright intends.
As the action begins, we meet the dinner party guests; Sally’s longtime friend, Daniel (Lee Boek), her best friend, Italian movie star Laura (Claudia Ferri) and Laura’s boyfriend, Ilo (Francis C. Edemobi). There is also Barbara (Debra Lane), the caterer who reveals a beautiful soprano voice, and two fabulous musicians who take part in the proceedings; a violinist (Yennie Lam) and a cellist (Chris Rorrer). Later on, a woman named Bess (Marcia Lynn Anthony) will unexpectedly come on the scene.
It is raining hard, with lightning and thunder (courtesy of lighting designer Azra King-Abadi, sound designer Shoshana Kuttner, and projection designer Fritz Davis), and the party is virtually cut off from the outside world. Suddenly a small plane crashes into the house, with one wing landing on the dining table. The pilot (Sol Mason) knocks on the door and enters. He has a slight head injury and can’t remember his name or even that he was piloting a plane. The characters all take turns keeping him awake for fear that, if he falls asleep, he may lapse into a coma. Daniel is the only one who is suspicious of him. There is a hint of danger, and the play ends on a mysterious note; we think we have learned who the pilot is, but have we really?
Sand is quoted as saying that, at one time, he often found that the actors with whom he was associating would project their own personalities on to him, believing that he and they were very much alike. In his play several of the characters insist that the pilot, who is virtually a blank slate, is very much like them. Perhaps that is what Sand is attempting to satirize, although it doesn’t come across as satire. The playwright is also quoted as stating that it is dangerous to project oneself onto other people, but, while there is a sense of danger in the play, it doesn’t seem connected to the act of projection. Rather it appears to emanate from the mystery of the pilot’s real identity,
As director, Sand has gotten his cast to immerse themselves in their roles with dogged commitment. He has led some of them to, successfully, give very broad interpretations of their characters, such as Wright’s turn as the romantic, rather affected Sally, or Perri’s performance as the emotional movie star. This approach is sometimes very amusing, but to what end is not totally clear.
Public Works Improvisational Theatre and Paul Sand Productions at The Broadwater, 1076 Lillian Way, Hlywd.; Fri.- Sat., 8 pm.; Sun., 3 pm; through May 7. https://www.onstage411.com/Pilot. Running time: 2 hrs. 30 mins. with one intermission.
