Reviewed by Asa Fris
Noisivision Studios, in cooperation with Eclipse Theatre LA
Thru March 29
Meggan Taylor and Michael Collins
In Passing Wind by Braddon Mendelson, there might be too much going on.
Lights up. An apartment, perhaps present day. Spencer Dazien (Michael Collins) clacks away at a computer keyboard. He’s not writing, he’s trying to find the lost file for his new script, a play called Passing Wind. Spencer faces many pressures: his landlord Mr. Morelli (Larry Shilkoff) demands rent, his girlfriend May (Meggan Taylor) requires his immediate presence for a trip to Mount Hoover, and he needs to find his lost script for a meeting with a big off-Broadway producer in two hours. Back against the wall, he enlists the help of his brother, Roger (Andrew Blandina), to rewrite the play. Trouble is, he can’t remember any of it. So he decides to write out his current situation, except with a happy ending. Oh and also it’s the 1980s. Lights out.
Lights up. 1980s. It’s generally the same apartment, except for a few changes, like a typewriter instead of a computer. Spencer and Roger enter, now in the circumstances of the play they’ve just written. All is well, even dandy, until a man barges in. He informs them he is their Playwright (Eduardo Arteaga). Not a playwright they’ve hired — no, he is their creator and they his characters. And he is not happy with the alterations they’ve made to his play. What ensues is a very complicated plot about who has really written the play in question.
Playwright Mendelson’s Passing Wind (we’re back in our world), is unapologetically absurd. Its central experience is not a story but assorted comedic bits and a great deal of arguing. When these bits land and actors make their conflicts feel personal, it’s ludicrous and fun. But when jokes don’t land, it’s laborious to watch, until a new joke gets it going again. Though Mendelson does grapple with what it means to choose your own narrative at times, this exploration is lost in a sea of absurdity.
Performances by Dave Ritterband and Meggan Taylor as Henry and Harriet Hawkins are a continual source of energy and great fun. Their grounded approach to Mendelson’s absurd contrivances is refreshing and hilarious, and their chemistry together is delightful. Michael Collins as Spencer adeptly maneuvers through his many non-sequiturs, though Blandina struggles with a continual overemphasis of trivial words, which saps dynamic from the duo’s many scenes together. Also of note is David Zumsteg’s sly charm at the end of the play.
The show’s tech is adequate, especially given the limited space of the venue. The set, designed by Eduardo Arteaga, serves the play well, though too few levels and furniture positioned on a bias often contribute to muddy staging. The lighting design by Tim Berreth is also sufficient, though the inconsistent use of spotlights on a “magical” typewriter is distracting.
The Main, 24266 Main St., Santa Clarita. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sat.-Sun., 2 pm, Sun., 7 pm, Thurs., March 19, 8 pm; thru March 29. www.atthemain.org Running time approximately two hours, with intermission.
