Playwright Jennie Webb has
described her work as “domestic absurdism” and in this play the absurd certainly lays waste to the domestic. Here, a sweet middle-aged
couple are just getting to know each other after a night of bliss. It is the morning-after
in her bedroom and, as they shyly make grasps at intimacy, all hell breaks
loose.
Among an onslaught of intruding relatives and friends are a mad sister,
a daft kid brother, an office co-worker and an omnipresent dear departed. Hey, you’ve
heard of dysfunctional families but this bunch will make the hair stand up on
your head, even as you laugh aloud!
Actually, the couple, Warren
Davis and Dale Waddington, were clearly made for each other and, in another
sort of play, would have married and lived happily ever after. Still, Webb
reminds us, we live in a complicated and threatening world and sometimes our
most intimate kin are leading the charge.
Gina Torrecilla as the ball-busting
sister, has everyone’s best interests at heart; Josh Stamell, as the loquacious
kid brother, has found the key to universal happiness; while Shirley Jordan, as
the loyal co-worker, knows that the vicious business world, not love, is our
only hope.
Fast-paced direction by
Annie McVey keeps the action speeding. Dollhouse bedroom set by Krystyna Loboda
is effectively lit by Derrick McDaniel with awesome sound by Stephen Swift,
while costumes are by Allison Dillard.
At VS. Theatre, 5453 W.
Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, through May 21. Tickets at www.inkwelltheater.com
Photos by Stephanie Fishbein.
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