Willow Geer, Amber Luallen, Aaron Hendry (obscured), and Lauren Saffa (Photo by Ian Flanders)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
Through Oct. 4
RECOMMENDED
Bernardo Cubría and Willow Geer (Photo by Ian Flanders)
The People of Pompeii, a new comedy by a Topanga Canyon writer/actor that takes place in Topanga Canyon and is about Topanga Canyon, is filled with the expected tropes about the quirky mountain community just outside LA: children’s names such as Runyon, Echo and Atlantis; a chocolate that contains pieces of placenta from a recent home birth; the use of New Age phrases such as “sauna of discomfort.”
As spoken by the six distinct, sharply written and acted characters, these tropes are terrifically funny — as is the entire play. And though Pompeii takes place in a very specific place with its own peculiar characteristics, it raises issues that confound and divide our entire country today.
It is, of course, fitting that Pompeii is presented in the historic Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, whose creation in the 1950s was intended to be a safe place for blacklisted artists victimized by McCarthyism. Indeed, there is a passing reference to the blacklist in an impassioned monologue late in the action.
Pompeii centers on three Topanga Canyon couples who are gathered at the home of Carlos (Bernardo Cubria, who is also the playwright) and Vera (Lauren Saffa) for dinner. All three couples’ homes have been spared by the recent wildfire, but we learn that all are struggling in different ways with questions pertaining to their future in a community prone to natural disasters and difficult access.
Carlos, a Mexican American, and Vera, his wife, moved from New York and were able to purchase a very nice home with Vera’s money. Vera loves Topanga and wants to stay, but Carlos has always been a reluctant resident, largely because he feels lonely as a Latine in an overwhelmingly White community.
Juniper (Willow Geer) and Evan (Aaron Hendry) are renters who are struggling financially particularly as outsiders like Carlos and Vera are driving up property costs. They are fierce Topanga loyalists who bemoan the gentrification of a community founded by hippies in trailers and tents, as well as blacklisted artists.
Blake (Jon Sprik) and Mel (Amber Luallen) are the wealthy, bougie couple who have ostensibly embraced the Topanga lifestyle, but are not quite all that they seem to be.
As the evening progresses, relationships unravel and conflicts ensue. While comedy dominates, there are poignant moments; for example, when Evan and Carlos show some emotional vulnerability — the former because of financial and other problems, the latter because of the isolation he feels as a Latino in a community devoid of diversity.
Would Pompeii resonate outside Los Angeles and/or to those who are at least somewhat familiar with Topanga Canyon? Yes, because even an unfamiliar audience would get a sense very quickly of what kind of community Topanga is. Also, the piece raises issues that impact much of America – gentrification, isolation, and climate change, for instance.
Co-directors Xochitl Romero and Ellen Geer have given the cast members free rein in inhabiting their distinct characters and have made good use of Botanicum’s vast outdoor stage.
The cast is consistently terrific, with perfect comedic timing. It’s amusing to note that if there’s any one actor who outshines the others, it’s Cubria, who as playwright has given the funniest lines to Cubria the actor. He even gets to do an interpretive dance that delighted the audience on opening night.
As in all Botanicum productions, the lighting (Hayden Kirschbaum) and set design (uncredited) are upstaged by the beauty of the outdoor space, but work well for the production.
The title of the play comes from a parallel that Carlos creates between the rich Romans who went to Pompeii to flee urban problems and contemporary Topanga residents. The Pompeiians ignored the ash in the sky that preceded the volcanic lava that ended up killing them “because they loved routine.” Similarly, Topangans are ignoring the dangers that come with living in the canyon, he posits.
Maybe it’s a stretch, but is it possible that many of us are the same — ignoring the risks of life today at our peril? If so, perhaps we can at least find the humor in a potential doomsday. as Cubria does.
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Days and dates vary, but all performances are at 7:30 pm, through Oct. 4. theatricum.com. Runtime: one hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.
