Derek Chariton and Walt Gray IV : Photos by Giovanni Solis of bracero |
By Joe Straw
Set off a squalid alameda, the entryway to the motel room
was a green and white door. It had been sanded and painted many times over the
years, but was now left to deteriorate into disrepair by its owners.
This was just a room that serves to collect money from
anyone passing by – heading north to Las Vegas or south to Los Angeles. It is a
perfect holiday gift for someone who couldn’t give two squeezes about the drab
motif just to lower the eyelids for a brief respite.
This hotel sat beyond the salted palisades of the hills to
the north. And probably what you would expect for the desert, in Barstow, and
certainly not four stars.
The rest of the room wasn’t that much better, coming in
through the door was a bed to the right with a blanket, used repeatedly over
the years, no doubt, and one that didn’t cover the whole bed. The bed frame sat over scraps of frayed carpeting,
and in offsetting colors of red, spotted brown, and red again.
The lamps were in need of repair and offered little light to
those who wanted to make logical sense. It was actually perfect lighting because
the darkness will shed little light on a crime they are about to commit, a crime
derived from depravity and, of course, diabolical in nature.
The Latino Theater Company Presents Desert Rats, written by Nate Rufus
Edelman and directed by Angie Scott through January 20th, 2019.
Frank (Walt Gray IV) stepped into the room with a sense of fondness
having been there years before with his father and younger brother, Jesse
(Derek Chariton). They are orphans and
have been so for quite some time.
The similarity they have to Frank and Jesse James are the
first names only and a criminal mindset.
Frank is the wiser primogeniture, a little heavier than his
unfed homunculus brother Jesse, a ruffled haired young man, slightly slow in
thought and build, who now wants to chain smoke his way to death, and play
solitaire while he waits for the nicotine to kick in and the cancer cells to replicate. (Please, theatrical cigarettes would be
a pleasing gesture for those of us who inhaled second hand smoke of our now
deceased loved ones.)
What does Jesse have to live for besides cigarettes, booze, and
relentless desire to stifle any movement in a positive direction?
It doesn’t help that Frank calls him a retard, an unwelcome,
unhelpful, and unkind act.
But Frank isn’t that dumb, in fact he is very curious about
a lot of things, has questions that are not easily answered, and may, in fact, be
smarter than his older brother, who in reality, forgets a lot.
But, they know what they are there for. They are prepared for any outcome, and any
unforeseen circumstances that may come their way. The only problem is that neither is bright
enough to see beyond the barren landscape, their thoughts beyond the dirty
window, and the hot air that forces them inside on this hot dusty day to talk
over plans.
“It’s Africa hot.” - Jesse
And there is no Jacuzzi or air conditioning.
The plan is set, Frank leaves Barstow to drive to the San Fernando
Valley to kidnap cheerleader, Amber (Lila Gavares), a spunky girl with a rich
father, bring her back in the trunk of the car in a few hours, pick up some
Payday candy bars along the way, and return her back to the hotel before they
call her father for the ransom.
But there is a kink in the plan; Frank does not arrive until
well after his anointed time sending Jesse into the stratosphere with worry.
Options are the key to Nate
Rufus Edelman’s dark comedy. There seems to be more in the play than what
was presented visually. Desperation drives each of the character to their
anointed end in this intimate play. But does the play go far enough, or reach a pinnacle?
Frank wants the money. Jesse wants to be loved. Amber wants to escape the nightmare she is
in. It’s all pretty simple. But, what happens? Frank doesn’t get the
money. Jesse ruins everything. And the
girl seems to be better off in the end.
The plan was doomed from the start. There were too many obstacles. The characters need a moment to think when
things go wrong. Frank and Jesse didn’t
give a second thought to what they were doing and how they were going to carry
it off.
While Angie Scott’s
direction was fluid enough, the two actors lost sight of their objective from
the moment they entered the room. They
weren’t relating (on this night) or moving toward their objectives. (Harold
Clurman calls this the through-line.) Later, we get to know why they are there
but, but by this time, some momentum was lost.
The relationship of the two brothers needs strengthening, (improvisation
in rehearsals would help) and was not significant enough to ensure they would agree
or disagree on the same plan. And, the
plan did not have a strong conflict, whether it was inner conflict or from some
outside forces, and visually it doesn’t appear that the brothers have run out
of options
This play bares a striking similarity to Orphans by Lyle Kessler
about two orphans who kidnap a stranger that gets the better of the orphans.
Lila Gavares |
There is a lot to enjoy from Lila Gavares’s (Amber) performance. Her delivery is sultry,
nuanced, and her objective is clear. The moment she steps into the room there
is an ambiguity coming through the pillowcase that is over her face. Is she
laughing, or crying, or both? Whatever
she was doing, it was mesmerizing. Gavares is a rutilant being, focused on both
her backstory and complete in the present.
The work was excellent.
Derek Chariton
plays Jesse, a simpleton, who believes what his brother tells him about his
intellect. There is a deeper backstory
to this character and a much richer defined character. Staying incognito during the first part of the
play would help his character who only smokes and plays solitaire, two passive
choices that don’t take the character to another level. Defining the relationship with his brother will
only help the very satisfying ending.
Could that be that his brother wants him to be discovered?
Walt Gray IV is
Frank, the older and smarter brother, or at least he thinks so. Frank needs a
deeper backstory and subtext. And
stronger choices need to be made. If he
is indeed smarter, he must know his plan is never going to work. And, if that’s
the case, what does he want from his brother? Frank tells his brother not to
leave the cabin, or to get cigarettes. or a fan, yet he knows full well that he
will do it. And why does he present his brother with horrific news upon coming
back late at night? Where does this take
us, and how does this change their relationship? Why does he bring the girl
back into their hotel room knowing his brother is going to mess things up? How
does that change the story?
Desperation and manipulation are social construct keys for
Frank. Let’s assume that he is not in this for the money, and that he is doing
this to get rid of his brother who has been a ball and chain around his neck
his whole life. Over the course of the
play, that version made a lot more sense to me. But that’s just me.
This show was moved from a smaller venue into one of the
smaller venues at LATC. But, that room
was probably larger so the actors had to accommodate to the size of the room.
At times Frank and Jesse were center stage and in the dark during crucial
moments of the play.
That said, I did enjoy the show and I would like to see the
players grow exponentially during the course of the run.
Wonderful Set Design by Cameron Mock & Emily MacDonald.
Libby Letlow was responsible for the Fight and Intimacy
Choreographer. The first kiss should be
an eye opener for Jesse. Take that
moment.
Other members of the crew are as follows:
Ivan Robles – Sound Design
Robert Anaya – Production Assistant
Jakelinne Gonzalez – Costume Design
Maricela Shagun – Production Stage Manager
Michelle Tapia – Assistant Director
Christopher Campbell-Orrock – Dramaturg
Run! Run! And take somebody thin, with a lot of tattoos!
The Los Angeles Theatre Center
Avalos Theatre
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Reservation: 866-811-4111
Contact info@thelatc.org for more information.
The Los Angeles Theatre Center
Avalos Theatre
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Reservation: 866-811-4111
Contact info@thelatc.org for more information.
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