Maybe I should just die. Maybe I should stop seeing theatre.  Maybe L.A. theatre should die.

It’s not that this production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune is demonstrably bad, it’s that the production is just not good.  What is it then? I don’t know. I am tired of seeing sucky theatre.  Though I dare say there isn’t any other kind. At least I haven’t seen anything worth while. Except one piece about five years back. I don’t remember the name of the play but it was brilliant. That one was here and now gone, can’t get it on DVD. Aside from that I’ve only seen one other stand-out performance let alone an entirely notable production. That particular performance was by a talented young man who later popped up as a cast member on Judging Amy. I’m sure the lure of television and it’s big money was much more enticing than doing little Rilke plays in Venice. Even if Mr. Rahm liked doing little plays in little theatres he still wound up on Television.

Is it the money factor, or lack there of? Yes, exactly. Why would anyone talented enough to capture an audience’s attention and imagination continue working for peanuts when they can potentially earn six figures working in film and TV? Do they do it for the love of the theatre? No. That is for amateurs. Once they’re good enough to go pro they should. There aren’t any good reasons to continue to work in theatre if you’re talented enough and experienced enough to work in film and TV. Why play to an audience of ninety nine when you can play to an audience of millions?

Maybe the connection between a live audience and artist is a truly unique and empowering experience. Acting for a camera and crew can’t be as rewarding as feeding off an audience’s energy can it? I bet it can! The proof is in how consistent bad theatre in Los Angeles is and the quality of good acting you can see on screen.  We should be thankful that great theatre is nonexistent.  Why? We’re lazy. We don’t want to get dressed up and spend five hours a day in a theatre to get our stories.  Can you imagine spending a day at the theatre with a bunch of other people you don’t even know? That’d be a nightmare. I can barely spend five hours with myself without getting annoyed let alone a hundred strangers and all their oddities. Perfect analogy: being on an airplane. Though sometimes where we’re going is wonderful we all have a sense of dread when thinking of the potential screaming baby or smelly guy we’ll have to breathe in for seven hours. Imagine flying with people like that EVERY DAY. As an actor I deeply care about the audience’s experience. I even have moments where I feel the tension in the room because the audience is waiting to see what I do next. It’s a good feeling. Doing just as good a job and making a thousand dollars for a days work in film is a better feeling.  Plus all my friends can see me on a DVD of the movie whenever they want. I like that connection.

Maybe we’re not lazy but efficient. Or busy? We like to get our stories delivered to our homes. Netflix, Cable, and even regular television all do a pretty damn good job of catering to our ravenous appetite for stories. If, from the comfort of our homes, we can watch an entire season of our favorite show or favorite movie then why not? It’s not all together bad to stay in to get what we need. We can all save some gas and screw the oil rich countries that are bilking us Californians out of billions.

I wanted this play to make a strong case for spending money on gas but it didn’t. And that’s considering the theatre is ten minutes from my house and my vehicle gets 50mpg. The direction was good. The set was great. The casting was a bit on the nose. The acting was well…

Thomas Fiscella as Johnny was OK.  The character is written as neurotic, damaged and annoying with wild swings into the jungle of romance. Think Ross from Friends with a bent of Romeo.  I sometimes find the tediousness and limitations of the theatre as the main hindrance to me being satisfied with a piece.  You usually only have one location to have the majority of the action take place. With that being the case you have to rely on stellar performances to captivate and hold the audience. With a character as neurotic and word happy as Johnny you have to be careful as an actor to not frustrate the audience. There is supposed to be a strong push pull between the two characters, Johnny being the active element. It takes a deft touch. But Fiscella pushed both Frankie and the audience away. He did manage to pull us back along with her, but we should never be pushed away. We should find the behavior that pushes the other character away charming and engaging, funny and redeemable. That way we see the other character’s attempts to resist as futile. We can then sit back and see how things will fall into place which is part of the excitement of a story like this.  Fiscella is a capable actor but didn’t quite deliver a knock out performance this time.

Libby West’s picture in the program intimidated me.  As Frankie she was flatly alive (if that makes any sense).  The character is gruff and damaged and West played the damaged part very well. However I was left wondering when she was going to spring to life in the simplicity of Frankie.  Maybe she’s worked in film and TV so much she is playing everything very small and as a result a theatre audience misses some of the nuance. Maybe it was opening night jitters still being worked through. I found her and the relationship between the two plausible but not electric.  There is a particular part where Fiscella is bathing himself in the light of the full moon and West calls to him to come away from the window.  This is a pivotal moment being as it’s half of the title of the piece. West missed the delicacy and meaning of the moment to her character. It’s a section full of the potential to suck us in and hit us over the head with some fantastic meaning work and she clodded right through it.  That intimidating look in her picture in the program was right for the part of Frankie that was gruff but she’s also very complex. West missed that complexity for much of the play and as such her performance was flat for long sections. Maybe with time she’ll brighten up a bit.

Maybe I’ll live after all. Maybe theatre in Los Angeles shouldn’t die either. I may stop going to see plays though. This particular production is helping to push me over the edge in boycotting theatre unless I have a great friend giving a fabulous performance in an exceptional play. I’m demanding of my theatre and everyone else should be too. Unfortunately I’d have to say skip this particular production. It may be worth it if you live in Long Beach and can get free tickets.  Otherwise I’d say rent seasons one and two of Dexter and have a nice evening at home with a loved one and some brilliant story telling and some fantastic acting.

WHO:
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed by Todd Nielsen
Starring Libby West and Thomas Fiscella
Set Design by Stephen Gifford
Lighting and Sound Design by Chris Kittrell
Production Stage Manager Michael Alan Ankney
Produced by Shashin Desai

WHEN:
previews Tuesday, August 26; Wednesday, August 27; and Thursday, August 28 at 8 pm
press opening: Friday, August 29, continues through September 21
Thursdays at 8 pm: September 4, 11, 18
Fridays at 8 pm: August 29, September 5, 12, 19
Saturdays at 8 pm: August 30, September 6, 13, 20
Sundays at 2 pm: August 31, September 7, 14, 21

WHERE:
International City Theatre
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
300 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach CA 90802

HOW:
(562) 436-4610 or www.ictlongbeach.org

TICKETS:
Opening Night: $50 - $60 (includes reception following the performance.)
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: $37 - $42
Thursday: $32 - $37
Previews: $29

Review By Dutch K.

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