Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
The Loft Ensemble
Thru Oct 6
To the outside eye, polyamory might seem like an open playing field, but truly ethical non-monogamy requires more than just a few ground rules. Meet The Polycule: A Comedy of Manners, a satirical verse play written by Jillian Blevins and inspired by Moliére that examines the conventions of unconventional relationships.
Fern’s new boyfriend Andy invites her to a dinner party with his family: a sprawling polycule including his rules-obsessed wife Elise, her aggressively hypersexual girlfriend Mira, their melodramatic asexual partner Vee, influencer boyfriend Kyle, and Kyle’s frustrated monogamous husband Gary. As Fern struggles to keep up with the unfamiliar norms of non-monogamy and Elise’s peculiar poly-vangelism, tensions in the polycule bubble to the surface. A web of lies begins to unravel, revealing each partner’s hidden agenda and fatal flaws. From insecure attachment to weaponized jealousy, The Polycule tackles a variety of toxic tendencies in relationships with pithy rhymes and comical queer absurdity.
The show begins with a rhyming pre-show voiceover and a Charli XCX BRAT overture that sets the tone for a fascinating blend of classical farce and contemporary love affairs. The setting is a neatly furnished modern home with a combination lounge, kitchen and dining area, augmented by offstage nooks and implied upstairs — a fitting interior design for such a sizable polycule.
For those unversed in alternative relationship structures, The Polycule offers a broad introduction to a variety of vocabulary terms, such as compersion (euphoria from seeing someone you love being happy with someone else) and the controversial One Penis Policy (an agreement in non-monogamous relationships that a woman can have relations with other women, but not other men). The portrayals of LGBTQ and polygamous tropes are heavily exaggerated, occasionally to their detriment, but make for a relevant lesson about staying real in relationships; real-life queer love is far from immune to narcissism, self-victimization, or addiction to drama, and maladjusted threesomes rarely repair messy marriages. Viewers be warned that the caricatured lovers’ quarrel escalates quickly in 70 minutes, graduating from sly petty remarks to a kicking and screaming physical brawl.
The first production of the Loft Ensemble’s 12th theatrical season is an unpredictable, spirited adventure of polyamorous pandemonium. Though at times excessively campy, The Polycule leaves audiences with a number of important messages about honesty and communication in relationships. Polyamory may not be a cure-all for heartbreak, but the story of this dysfunctional chosen family speaks to the power of choosing how, and who, to love.
The Loft Ensemble, 11031 Camarillo Street, North Hollywood. Fri. & Sat.; 8 pm Sun., 7 pm; thru Oct. 6. www.LoftEnsemble.org Runtime: 70 minutes
