PENELOPE
by Enda Walsh
If
one is unfamiliar with Homer's story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, his ten years
absence from the lovely Penelope and how the locals all came to court her, Enda
Walsh’s play will be difficult at best to ‘get.’ A prolific Irish playwright, Walsh (Tony winner 2011 for the book for the musical Once) is a romantic.
Odysseus is still absent after ten years away from home. We find ourselves in Penelope's empty
swimming pool where four men, Richard Fancy: Fitz, Ron Bottitta: Dunne, Scott
Sheldon: Burns and in for Brian Letscher as Quinn: Gugun Deep Singh. These are
the last four of a hundred suitors who have come to court Penelope. They banter with one another in an
attempt to impress her… and each other.
As this is an Irish play, the choice
for the actors to assume Irish accents (which come and go) may have been a
questionable choice. Understanding
the dialogue is sometimes challenging. The
pecking order of the suitors may represent the playwright himself at different ages and temperaments. They do their best to posture boldly when suddenly we see Penelope
(silent and lovely Holly Fulger) observe them from above in her poolside cabana. They are
trapped on video! Corwin Evans’ excellent
video design creates another world impression as the men posture, pose and
plead for Penelope’s favor.
Designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz has imagined a dirty pool complete with Greek
tiles which give us the distinct feeling of No Exit.
Recently,
“Murray” the last of the suitors to “exit,” leaving a bloody mess on the walls,
was a suicide. Sticking it out for
the favors of a beautiful woman loyal to her long lost husband plays cruel
tricks upon the mind. The business
of having to be ready to show off your strength at a moment’s notice … at the
whim of the beauty who is bound to reject you, takes its toll.
Elder
of the company, Fitz, Richard Fancy, collides with Dunne as the pressures of
the contest build. Understudy,
Singh / Quinn, has the lion’s share of work to do and brings it off with
bravado. His turn in the spotlight, literally, has him portraying famous lovers
from history, including Napoleon and Josephine as well as both Romeo and
Juliet. His inflated heart rises
to Penelope and bursts.
As
the least aggressive of the quartet, Burns, tries to explain how he cared for
the now dead Murray, things get more strange. Fitz, Dunne and then Burns turn on Quinn and in a scene
right out of Julius Cesar, bloodily dispose of him. A new term in the program credits Ned Mochel with “Violence
Design.” The action is violent and well executed.
Indeed, the energies kept well in tow by director John Perrin Flynn, explode
with the three remaining suitors covered in blood.
Burns
seems to be the voice of the playwright, extolling the virtues of love and
exclaiming that the remaining three are ‘dead men’ which may be Walsh’s reflection
on the nihilism of Beckett. Wearing
different conical party hats that remind of Krapp’s Last Tape, Burns asks
Quinn, “How can you talk about love with no regard for your own life?” This is
prophetic as in the end, Odysseus returns and the
remaining three all become food for worms.
The
pre-show music of the fifties (Why Do Fools Fall In Love?) helped to confuse the
actual time for the story, though set in a limbo of time seems appropriate with
modern booze and a gas barbecue. Walsh has messages for his audience. Not always clear, the energy of the
actors and the sometimes garbled dialogue still relay an interesting, even
powerful and theatrical piece. Do the four men represent stages of the playwright’s
life? Out of shape guys in Speedos?
Singh’s Quinn is younger and more hefty. It must mean something.
PENELOPE by Enda Walsh
Rogue
Machine Theatre
At
Theatre Theater
5041
Pico Blvd
Los
Angeles, CA 90019
Extended:
8pm
Fridays and Saturdays,
3pm
on Sundays through August 17, 2014
Tickets $30.
Reservations:
855-585-5185
www.roguemachinetheatre.com