James Lamire and Talullah Jones in “Unconditional”
Reviewed by Martín Hernández
Stephanie Feury Theatre
Through April 28.
RECOMMENDED
James Lemire
Writer/director Chance Lang’s quintet of short two-handers pay tribute to parenthood, from joy to pain and what lies in between. The works are mostly well-acted under Lang’s pensive direction while the stories balance humor and pathos with irregular success. One may recognize their own parents and/or children in these earnest plays and should go away with a bit of understanding about why a family functions as it does.
A needy Derrick (James Lemire) finds out love is not always as “unconditional” as he wants it when, after his bitter divorce, he wears out the welcome mat with his adult daughter Ela (Tallulah Jones). Cooped up together longer than expected after she let Derrick stay in her cramped digs, Ela tries to get him to move. Derrick’s delusions about getting back with his ex-wife, despite Ela’s describing her mom as a “cold-ass bitch,” puts a damper on Ela’s efforts. Lemire and Jones evince a believable bond as the insecure family, making a standard storyline enjoyable.
“I Don’t Know” pits Pat (Ben Carr), a traumatized war vet, against his estranged son Zayne (Gianni Magna) who seeks shelter after his girlfriend gives him the boot. Pat isolates in his dark apartment and gloomily copes with physical and mental wounds by crafting a board game based on his combat experiences. Though a reluctant Pat lets Zayne in, they are soon bumping heads and reigniting long-simmering tensions. Carr and Magna try to affect a convincing connection but are undermined by diffident performances and awkward staging.
“To Chiming In” has two close but disparate friends Camela (Vanessa Rae Robinson) and Isabella (Roxanne Jaeckel) debate child-rearing methods while watching a kids’ soccer game. While the perky Camela cheers on – and pesters – her 9-year-old son from the sidelines, droll and childless Isabella admonishes Camela to just let the boy play. As they chat, Camela wonders if her “hands on” approach to her family is a harm while Isabella wonders if her “hands off” approach is also a detriment to her spouse. Robinson and Jaeckel engage well together, portraying characters who care and challenge each other.
Young marrieds Autumn (Lauren Corona) and Cooper (Caleb D Fietsam) are just home from a tense dinner date night and bicker over trivial matters in “Possessed by Beans.” While each deflect with sundry diversions, the underlying cause of their friction – their efforts to have a child – eventfully bubbles up. As they question the complications of their options, they reveal their reservations and work to resolve them. Corona and Fietsam ably depict a troubled but loving couple looking to overcome the bumps in their marriage.
The fraught relations between Roxs (Bre Melino) and their flighty mother Elena (Leialani Nicol) are the kernels of “The Mush.” When Elena shows up again late, this time to help Roxs move after she has finished grad school, it is the last straw for Roxs. They confront Elena on her not being there for Roxs as they grew up, while Elena reveals her own unresolved angst about her own mother’s difficult ways. The two also come to grips with Roxs’ exploration of their gender identity as they playfully sort out Roxs’ clothes, a metaphor for accepting a new way of being. Melino and Nicol make for an engaging mother and child as their characters maneuver towards accepting each other.
Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave., E. Hollywood. Fri.-Sun., 6:30 pm; thru April 26. https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/chance-lang/an-ode-to-parenting#/
