I recently had the opportunity to take in some theatre right here in Los Angeles. My destination was the Attic Theater in West LA. Say You Love Satan is the story of Andrew, a personable and effervescent gay man living in Baltimore who falls for the son of the Devil, who calls himself Jack. At first glance, the concept is interesting but the problem with this play is the earnest way it attempts to blend camp with the horrific reality of having an affair with the spawn of Satan. But that’s not where I had the most trouble.

Andrew narrates throughout; commenting on everything from the difficulty of writing his Dostoevsky dissertation to how unbelievable it is that the handsome, sculpted (and very often shirtless) Jack would fall for Everyman Andrew. The asides prove troublesome a third of the way through as they stunt the growth of any possibility of the scenes fully developing. But that’s not where I had the most trouble either.

The show was a constant barrage of pop-culture references, none of which were very clever and insider gay jokes, some of which preyed on stereotypes of gay men so much that it was borderline cartoonish at time. Doug Sutherland’s, “Andrew” is personable and effervescent and carries all the charm of a Disney character without being annoying or too bubbly. He is countered with Amber Flamminio’s portrayal of “Bernadette,” his “fruit-fly” best friend who remains suspicious of the mysterious Jack from the beginning.

The most trouble came from Elias Gallegos who played “Jack”. He didn’t sell his sexuality and confidence enough and since much of the action rests on Devil Jr’s ability to slink his way through any given situation, many times the play seemed contrived rather than clever.

There are several missed opportunities here; where a carefully placed statement about modern love or city lifestyle is expected, the tendency is to lean towards camp rather than substance. In other scenes where one would expect to see the obvious weight of the fallout of dating Satan’s kid, the audience is suddenly expected to be drawn in.

Overall, I was let down by this particular performance. It is a shame as The Attic provides a warm and inviting atmosphere to enjoy intimate live theatre. The concept is promising but my date with the Devil left me wanting more.

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