Swimming In The ShallowsApril 19, 2004 LA Weekly THEATER REVIEW By Neal Weaver Playwright Adam Bock might have called his play Dances With Sharks, since his love-struck hero, Nick (Robbie Cain), is dating hunky Mako (Guy Woodson), whom he met at the local Sea World. (A gentle, non-carnivorous shark, Mako sold Avon products before taking on the gig at the aquarium.) Nick's friend Barb (Danielle Hoover), learning from Reader's Digest that Buddhist monks allow themselves only eight possessions, decides to rid her life of things (they make her feel heavy), and leaves her consumer-oriented husband (Josh Levy) because he's bought her a car. And dyke-in-combat-boots Carla Carla (Shannon Sweetmon) is futilely determined to cure her lipstick lesbian lover, Donna (Jennifer Fitzgerald), of the smoking habit. Bock clearly loves his ditsy characters, and creates for them a world that is hip, hilarious and surprisingly sweet. Director Anthony Meindl eagerly embraces Bock's freewheeling spirit with playful inventiveness, and an exuberant cast adds its own comic zest. Scott Butler's nurserylike nautical set, Ryan McLaughlin's clever video images, Alison Smith's goofy choreography and Sara Huddleston's sound design gleefully combine to make this a pleasingly loony trip. back to Theatre History > |
