THE PILOT WHO CRASHED THE PARTY.. PAUL SAND AT THE BROADWATER

 

 

THE PILOT WHO CRASHED THE PARTY 

by Paul Sand.

 The final scene.. after the final scene of The Pilot Who Crashed the Party .. the silhouettes of the actors..  returns a memory I retain from seeing Paul Sills' Story Theatre many years ago. Specific characters with a story to tell. Including Paul Sand.

With points for longevity on the planet and in The Business, Paul Sand presents this modern day some what loopy 1930s drawing room "dangerous satire"  in two acts at the Broadwater.  In his program notes, Paul writes, "You’re about to watch what I’ve come up with so far." "So far!"

Luigi Pirandello may be turning slowly in his grave and Noel Coward might be watching from the balcony as we meet the cast of characters. Sand's direction is very presentational in its aspect. And, Big!  

Pre-show, after a warm greeting from playwright/director,  Paul Sand,   Alex Hogy's wonderful curtain speech is heard reflecting on itself to remind the audience to unwrap crackly candies and shut down their electronic leashes. He reminds us that this is a play.   These are actors.. they are only pretending.  We feel welcome as we settle in.

It's  Sally's (over the top Jacqueline Wright) 50th birthday. Her beautiful home sits on Marcia Street high in the Santa Monica Mountains. It's raining big time thanks to  sound design by Shoshana Kuttner with excellent projections by Fritz Davis.

The sputter of a single engine aircraft  cuts in and out.  Dramatic flashes of lightning strike close by. Thunder claps. The rain is coming down hard!  The party guests, in festive attire, have been playing a murder mystery game.   Ilo (probably British? Francis C. Edemobi) is discovered with a dagger in his back! I forget who dunnit.  Oh Wait.. it was Sally!

Lee Boek and Sol Mason
Photo by Agi

Recalling many early black and white movies, there is almost always an orchestral undertow  to buoy up the progression of the film.  

Happily.. We get musicians!  Playwright Sand enploys on stage: the excellent Yennie Lam (violin) who clomps and Chris Rorrer (cello), who become integral to the story.  They like wine.  Instrumental underscores and themes are excellent.

There is a sort of frenzy and rushed quality to Sally as she is fetted.  It's her birthday and the round robin of who was married to whom and what the social order is now is a little vague.   An amazing rendition of what may be the Happy Birthday To Sally Birthday Song /Aria by Barbara (truly excellent Debra Lane) astonishes the audience and the guests.  

Pretty soon, some of the exposition dies down and the sputtering of the small plane amplifies as do the lightning and the thunder :  Blackout!

One theatrical choice that is iffy includes imaginary 'doors' that exit to the outside as well as from the dining room (Jeff G. Rack's excellent scenic design) to the library. That may have worked better for me had the sound design included the clatter of moving doors and locks and such.  Had we actually heard the slamming of doors and keys locking and hinges creaking.. the poor actors attempting to get the timing right, there may be a self referential laugh or two of un-mined Schtick.

Volume and action are cranked up to Spinal Tap eleven. The frenzy shifts as the lights go out and , then, on the dining room table  appears the detatched wing of a small areoplane.  No debris. Just the wing.

Loud banging on the imaginary door!   The Pilot (Sol Mason)  steps in and  promptly collapses on the dining room floor. From the door to the floor. Gasp!

Sol Mason, Chris Rorrer, Yennie Lam,
Jacqueline Wright, Lee Boek,
Francis C. Edemobi, Debra Lane,
and Claudia Ferri
Photo by Jenny Graham

Broad comedy ensues, as the party goers, including distraught Laura (Claudia Ferri), a "sometimes" Italian movie star,  who must be in touch with her agent to make sure she's included in an imporatant table read scheduled for the following day. They are all trapped.  A river of mud and the remnants of the plane go sliding down the hillside to the Trader Joe's below. 

The frantic pace and the suspicious business of the amnesiac Pilot unfolds. Daniel has suspicions regarding the intrusion of this stranger who may not acrtually be a stranger.  The absurdist bent of the action accompanied by the cello and violin escalates as the guests take turns keeping The Pilot (whom we suspect may have a concussion) awake so that he won't lapse into a coma. A quick left turn in the plot evolves into the appearance of another character who seems to tidy up the evening that all devolves into the final mystery and that's that. Or is it?

This review is deliberately obtuse so as to compliment the show on its creativity and success as a totally absurd and somewhat unhinged story that, with work, may, one day, find its way to Broadway because Paul Sand's  idea is terrific. 

CAST

SALLY... Jacqueline Wright
DANIEL... Lee Boek
LAURA..Claudia Ferri
ILO... Francis C. Edemobi
BARBARA.. Debra Lane
THE PILOT... Sol Mason
BESS.. Marcia Lynn Anthony
THE VIOLINIST... Yennie Lam
THE CELLIST... Chris Rorrer
SWING Daniel... Scott Victor Nelson
SWING Barbara... Ellen Cooper

  

Creative Team

Scenic designer Jeff G. Rack 

Costume designer Linda Muggeridge 

Lighting designer Azra King-Abadi 

Sound designer Shoshana Kuttner 

Projection designer Fritz Davis. 

Assistant director  Alex Hogy 

Production stage manager Anna Kupershmidt. 

 

The Pilot Who Crashed the Party

Written and directed by Paul Sand  Produced by Amanda Weier and presented by Public Works Improvisational Theatre Foundation in association with Paul Sand Projects

Broadwater Theatre Main Stage

 6320 Santa Monica Blvd, 

Los Angeles, CA 90038.  

Performance run April 8 - May 7 

 Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm

Sundays at 3pm. 

Tickets & information

 at www.onstage411.com/Pilot.

Cast photos by Agi

The Broadwater is actually around the corner on Lillian Way.  Parking is a challenge. Arrive early for a drink at the corner bar?