[ssba]
The Princes of Kings Road
Reviewed by Jessica Salans
The Neutra Institute Museum and Gallery
Through October 4
Two iconic architects reunite. It is 1953 and they are in stark white beds at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles.
The Princes of Kings Road gets its world premiere at a uniquely Los Angeles site-specific location — the Neutra Institute Museum and Gallery of Silver Lake. For 40 years the storefront served as the offices of Richard Neutra (Ray Xifo), who with Rudolph Schindler (John Nielson) created the architectural style that is today celebrated as California Modernism.
In Tom Lazarus’s script, the legendary architects, who started as friends and artistic allies in pre-WWI Vienna, and for five years lived together in Schindler’s revolutionary Kings Road house in West Hollywood, are reluctantly brought together as patients in the same hospital room two decades after that friendship has been riven by petty jealousies and a bitter professional rivalry.
The play is mostly a back and forth argument between the very tall, womanizing playboy, Schindler, and the stubby, sexually conservative spark plug, Neutra. They reminisce about their past works as the audience gets to watch black and white projections of the famous buildings they designed. As they argue over ownership of ideas, a blonde nurse (Heather Robinson) forgoes her duties to hear their stories. In the end, the men come to a mutual respect and realization that they still care for each other.
And while Lazarus clearly has done his homework (the play is based on a real incident), the arid results play like a dramatized architecture history class. The fluorescent lighting of the Neutra building fits the hospital setting but otherwise the gallery does little to aid in transporting the story.
The one saving grace of an otherwise rather dull production is Xifo, who gives a grounded, intimate performance. In the staging’s close proximity, Xifo’s sincerity becomes palpable and is readily enjoyed.
Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA at the Neutra Institute Museum and Gallery, 2379 Glendale Blvd.; Silver Lake; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 27, 4 & 7 p.m.; through October 4. (323) 641-7747, PrincesofKingsRoad.com. Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.
