Outlaw
Reviewed by Lara J. Altunian
Clago Productions
Through August 24
“People confuse the outlaw and the criminal. Some outlaws commit crimes, but the real outlaw isn’t a criminal by trade.”
Drawn from his autobiography Exile on Front Street: My Life as a Hells Angel…and Beyond, the quote above perfectly encapsulates George Christie, Jr.’s one-man show about his forty-year stint as a leading member of the well-known motorcycle club. Outlaw dives into his obsession with the league, detailing how its principles changed and what he lost as a result of being a member. It’s a well-rounded story with plenty of fascinating facts, but the lack of visually stimulating action transforms parts of his harrowing tale into what seems like the recitation of memorized text rather than three-dimensional theater.
A simple setup (visual design by Brandon Loeser) consisting of a bar, a couch and a coffee table decked with skull paraphernalia establish Christie’s cool-guy persona. This is further underscored by his entrance with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey in his hand and sunglasses on his face. What initially registered as an older man discussing his former glory days running with one of the toughest clubs in the United States quickly becomes an honest recounting of what went wrong along the way.
In his act, Christie discusses the appeal of breaking away from his very modest and sleepy Southern California upbringing in the ’50s to become someone who is both feared and respected. His ascension to president of the Hells Angels only five years into his membership, in tandem with the growing violent animosity between his club and rivals such as the Mongols, coat the story with a bittersweet flavor. The nostalgia he exudes through beautifully crafted phrases such as “You’ve never really experienced this country unless you’ve done it on a motorcycle,” is juxtaposed with a detailed account of his well-documented, years-long battle against “the feds” — a contrast that adds balance and truth to his on-stage memoir.
Christie’s charm is undeniable. He’s well-spoken and descriptive. The few props he uses enhance his performance. These include a comic “recreation” of Outlaw Punch (cue the bar and Jack Daniel’s) and a brief demonstration of stuffing a motorcycle tire with sticks of dynamite for added drama. However, these moments are few and far between. Projected images from his childhood, newspaper clippings about his arrests and other token pictures make the narrative a little more dynamic, as do sound clips of ’70s hard rock and revving motorcycles (sound design by Ricky Borba). But the show still feels like it needs more movement (although it may be a bit unfair to expect that from the 71-year-old Christie). The featured couch adds intimacy to the production, but the near two-hour runtime comes to seem more extended by the stationary moments in his routine.
Outlaw examines the real cost of being part of a brotherhood-before-family gang. Christie wears his title proudly, dubbing himself neither an angel nor a member of hell, but rather a person who did what he could to fight the feeling of not fitting in with society’s expectations.
Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Fri., 8 p.m.; through Aug. 24. (213) 713-9149 or https://www.clagoproductions.com/. Running time: one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
