The Pizza Man

Reviewed by Angie Hoover
The Complex Hollywood
Through August 26

If you’ve come to The Pizza Man looking for the advertised “subversion of gender roles”, you might need to order off the menu.

The narrative — which is intended to be comedic — follows Julie (Teri Andrez), a deeply repressed alcoholic, and her lovesick roommate, Alice (Jazz Raycole), as they discuss their troubles with men and power, have martinis for dinner, and attempt to abuse, assault, and rape an innocent man.

To some, the rape bit may seem in poor taste, and it is, but the tackiness is owed more to approach than to subject matter. There is a Mel Brooks quotation that applies here: “If you’re going to tell a joke about Hitler, it better be the best joke anyone has ever written.” In other words, atrocities against humankind can be mocked (see any episode of South Park for evidence) but only if humor is used to expose the cultural attitudes which perpetuate them.

In the case of The Pizza Man, dialogue, which propagates the subjugation of women and the simplification of male sexuality, is not only present, but relied upon for laughs. With reference to rape, the humor comes almost entirely from Julie’s inadequacy as a rapist and her misguided efforts to take social power that will always be inaccessible to her. Couple that with mean girl-jokes about Alice’s emotional eating, the casual acceptance of male infidelity, and a bucket full of quips that should have expired with the Reagan administration, and the result is a reinforcement of patriarchal structures and a deeply scattered message.

One imagines that this was written by the type of person who believes that Huckleberry Finn should be banned from schools for its usage of N-word. In short, a person whose capability to synthesize meaning within context is nonexistent.

Despite these issues, the acting, under the direction of Natalie Sutherland, is quite strong; the cast injects vulnerability, chemistry, and comedic rhythm into a dated script that is rife with clichés and redundancies. Eddie (Christian Gehring) is particularly thoughtful and emotionally giving, capable of facilitating meaningful onstage relationships and turning mediocre writing into an expression of character. Similarly, Andrez and Raycole are skilled in their performance, never missing a beat, and offering their best at all times.

One scene where Julie holds a pair of scissors against the thin skin of Eddie’s neck, threatening to puncture his throat and kill him, is especially well-acted and directed. Never played for laughs, but still fitting seamlessly into the narrative, the scene stands out and gives the story some semblance of a message.

The issue remains, however, that writing is the foundation of a theatrical production; if a script is poorly executed, there is only so much that acting, direction, and set decorations can do to elevate it. It is a regrettable phenomenon that this play keeps getting produced, but maybe the future will bring a somehow dark and poignant rendition that delivers on its promise.

The Complex Hollywood, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Aug. 26. www.pizzamancomplex.com or (323) 465-0383. Running Time: two hrs. with 15 min. intermission.