The G*ddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh… And Merry Christmas) by Mark Wilding

 

L to R Prescilliana Esparolini, Liv Denevi, and Cecil Jennings - Photos by Charlie Mount

 By Joe Straw

There was a fascinating visual before the show started. A book center stage appeared to be “Mid-Century Modern Graphic Design” by Theo Inglis in which Lighting Designer, David P. Johnson, displayed lights that turned the book into a pulsating visual and well, a collage of now you see it, now maybe you don’t.  The book and its graphic design transformed in many ways.  On top of that Johnson had a stunning light show highlighting Hitchcock suspenseful mystery style with a playoff of an old vertigo image and the downstage wall outlooking an apartment buildings à la a “Rear Window” motif compliments of Jeff G. Rack set design.

Theatre West and Little Jack Produtions present The G*ddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh… and Merry Christmas) written by Mark Wilding, directed by Charlie Mount, Co-Produced by Charlie Mount and producer by Garry Kluger through December 15, 2024.   

Maybe they don’t know it but there’s more to the relationship between the two sisters Sydney (Sam Gregory) and Dana (Liv Denevi). Dana has decorated her condo in a retro 60’s style and Sydney comes into her home dressed in a 60’s look with bell bottom jeans. And it’s possible that they have more in common than either would even realize. No exceptions.

Dana and boyfriend Chad (Cecil Jennings) are hosting this Christmas dinner at their condo, cooked by Chad, who is either an obsessive compulsive, wimpy, gay chef, or all, or neither. In any case, it’s all about Chad and no one is allowed into the kitchen while he is preparing the meals. No exceptions.

Sydney has brought her boyfriend Lance (Dave Kumar) who, all told, has missed some life experiences and simple knowledge. He is the father of multiple children from different relationships, and he just manages to get along by shear will power, fortitude, and strength but certainly not by his intellect.

Dana and Sydney’s mother and father are joining them on this day Maureen (Jill Remez) and Jerry (Steve Nevil) who is a construction lawyer. They are happy to have their daughter Dana getting married and have said that they will give her $100,000 to start them on their road together.

But that presents a problem as evil sister Sydney wants that money and suddenly decides that she and Lance are getting married as soon as possible.

That noise is suddenly interrupted by the noise coming from an adjoining condo. And now they are all distracted and rather concerned about Dana and Chad’s loud neighbors, their voices seemed to be coming from the vent in the living room wall. Luscious Lucinda (Prescilliana Esparolini) and her partner Kenny (Turk Fruell) start up again and every time they argue things get a little worse.  

Shortly thereafter delicious Lucinda stops over with an opened box of Chips Ahoy cookies as a form of apology for what she says is their over-the-top lovemaking loudness. And they all buy into it, especially the men.

And when lucky Lucinda and Kenny go at it again, suddenly the argument is stopped by a jarring noise and everyone in the condo wonders, what happened?  

One doesn’t like coming to a theatrical event near the beginning of the run because moments made not have gelled as one would want.  Mark Wilding, the writer of The G*ddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh, ..And Merry Christmas), has some very nice things in it.  And family and harmony strike a very real chord in this play.  In fact, that chord jumps out so strong in one moment that one wants to hug everyone in the play. Still, this Christmas comedy has within it the ability to go farther to be both raucously absurd and outrageously comedic.  

So, what’s not working? Well maybe there may not have been enough time for Charlie Mount, the director, to find a significant through line in this piece and make it gel. A few minor adjustments would address the clarity of Mark Wilding’s play and send it on a benevolent path.

Without giving anything away, as one sees it, the play is mostly about a dysfunctional family trying to work things out mostly amongst themselves.   They have very little in common and hardly get through the day without sneering at each other. Sisters are yelling at one another, mother and father disagree about the money, and two diametrically opposed future sons-in-law exacerbate an already precarious family unit. When something happens, they individually try to find a solution to the problem and that only adds only more tension with our heroes.   It is only when they all work together that the problem is resolved, and now the family has found new meaningful ground and something they can all build upon. Finding those moments that clears a path for the triumphant moment of that family seems to be the core of the play.  

L - R Sam Gregory, Dave Kumar, Liv Denevi, Jill Remez, Cecil Jennnings, and Steve Nevil

 

John Combs is Officer Hoyt a person that is called in to work the holidays.  A cop who is a non-inquisitive being that does not want to work too hard on Christmas day. Combs brings a lot of humor to the play and seems to know the playwright’s intention.  Combs is a fine addition to this cast, and it is one more excellent role in his many roles witnessed in Los Angeles.

Liv Denevi is Dana, the older sister and there is creatively more to add to a character that has many roles in this play.  She is a lover, a sister, a daughter, and a marvelous decorative host that has a purpose on this given day. Her relationship with her sister needs definition to give her a historical backdrop to her character, a past life, recreated if only to move forward.    

Prescilliana Esparolini is luscious Lucinda a woman that captures the hearts of men when entering a room but, upon further inspection, one would not want to be caught in an alley alone with her especially with her eyes staring at you and a weapon in her hand. Esparolini is funny and makes the most of the limited time she has on stage.

Turk Fruell is Kenny. We only hear his voice, and he doesn’t appear on stage. He is Lucinda’s partner and seems to have gotten more than he bargained for with her.

Sam Gregory is Sydney, the sister who wants her fair share of the pie and goes for it anyway she can get it. On the outside, Sydney doesn’t appear too bright and to make up for it she chooses a boyfriend who is physical specimen but equally not that bright. Sydney, in an invidious position, fights hard for what she wants but the fight lacks increments and progression.  A stronger creative choice is needed to give the character truth in her physical life on stage.

Cecil Jennings is Chad and is funny on stage. One prefers his look in the program rather than the beard on stage. That clean look gives him more strength and may work better for the character he is playing. That strength will allow him to fight and protect the sanctity of the kitchen and not allow anyone into it. It will add more humor to the role and give the character a boost in his idiosyncrasies. If everything is about the pie and keeping it whole, then the riddle of the character is solved.

Dave Kumar is Lance and despite the character’s lack of mental acuity one thought this was a very good performance. Kumar’s concentration and his physical actions on stage are excellent and given the luck of the draw should do well in this industry.

Steve Nevil plays the dad Jerry.  There may more fight in this character to make the character more defined to determine a stronger conflict. For the comedy to work Jerry must dig deeper to highlight the funny (comedy).  There are a couple of moments when Jerry takes charge, but his physical life does not suggest that. (The law scene.) The other is the epic battle when lives are at stake. We need to see more of Jerry here and the physical life of him protecting his family.

Jill Remez is the mom, Maureen. Maureen is the voice of reason; however misguided it may be. She is the voice of compassion, where little of it exists. The voice of sensibilities, when others are tearing their hair out. More must be made with the relationship with her husband.  The conflict is not strong enough to move the relationship forward. Despite that Remez is charming in the role.

Theatre West is one of the best little theatres in town.  The people there are charming from top to bottom, and it is always a pleasure to go there. Other members of this fantastic crew are as follows:

David Mingrino – Stage Manager

David Baer – Assistant Stage Manager

Jeff G. Rack – Set Designer

David P. Johnson – Lighting Designer

David P. Johnson and Charlie Mount – Sound Design

Philip Sokoloff – Public Relations

Table 7 Poster Design – Key Art

Doug Haverty – Playbill Design

Jeff G. Rack and Amanda Sauter – Set Construction

Scottie Nevil – Front of House

Charlie Mount – Production Photography

Reservations: 323-851-4839

Online Ticketing: http://theatrewest.org

 

The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr

 

Esther Guigui - Photos by Blain Clausen

By Joe Straw

Usually there’s a doorman, backstage anywhere USA, but for reasons unknown on this godforsaken night Karen (Barry Brisco) gingerly steps out alone adorned in a patterned red suit with multi-colored red and black boots, into the rain for a much-needed cigarette. Simply the act of smoking, reflecting on a significant moment, and opening the dark edges of his now rain-soaked existence all for some type of nicotine clarity.  Something is amiss.

Backstage doors are not glamorous, usually made of steel, and made specifically strong enough to keep the hanger-on’s - out.  That doesn’t deter Eve (Esther Guigui) who approaches Karen under an umbrella trying her best to avoid the raindrops on this cold night.

Eve uses every trick in the book to get inside to see Margo (Dahlia Waingort Guigui) and Karen does little to encourage this young woman, who, all told, has seen this production from the balcony over 50 times. He makes a mental note of that number, and Karen says he’ll see what he can do but suggests that if he doesn’t come back, she should go home.

Meanwhile, backstage Margo is surrounded by the ones that love her.  First and foremost is her husband Clement (John Mese) a stoic personality with a predilection for truth, noting Margo’s offstage age of forty-five in their casual after performance chat. Margo’s writer Lloyd (Eric Keitel) the playwright, and Karen’s husband, that has written three winning plays for Margo and chimes into her defense saying that she can play anything on stage younger than her actual age. Meanwhile, although married, his lascivious eyes are always open. In cat-like tongues they all speak scandalous and reckless gossip about the supporting players that almost ruin Margo’s performances, and they do this with unforgiving jagged claws.  

Sunset Pictures presents The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, directed by Bryan Rasmussen and produced by Dahlia Waingort Guigui at the Whitefire Theatre through November 24th.

There is a reality to May Orr’s play in the way the players behave backstage, and everyone is moving in a direction hoping the choice they have made will move them to their hopeful destination. Eve Harrington tops the list characters that will stop at nothing to get what she wants, no matter who she hurts, or how big the lie. It is a very sinister look at the art of showbusiness that is both enthralling and mesmerizing and it is hard to turn away from each bit of rich, enthusiastic, dialogue that is, in effect, a movement into an abyss.

Bryan Rasmussen’s love for the theatre, and this show, stopped the show midstream to take care of a patron’s cellphone issue with some handy investigative Columbo like resolve, eventually finding it stuffed in a purse, music blaring, (Je t’accuse, et toi seul, de mettre de la musique dans ton sac à main!) pulling it out and needing assistance with an android phone to turn it completely off! That aside, there was much to enjoy with Bryan’s work throughout the night that really struck a chord and one that is highly satisfying and recommended.

But, if you are planning on seeing this production, don’t read any further.

Don’t.

You’re still reading.

While the production is fantastic, one couldn’t help but think that there is more layers to be had, and more to give. That may be accomplished with only a little more rehearsal time to define characters, their motives, and their choices which will move them in such a way to give the production a greater flow.  

At first Margo is the center of attention and the flow should be directed toward Margo.  Margo, Margo, Margo! She is the queen bee and everyone on stage should treat her as such. Then Eve comes into the picture.  Now there is a slight disruption, imperceptible at first, (except the beauty part) the queen is slowly losing her power, people she thought were completely enamored with her are now, one by one, turning away except for one person who is not deceived by this young ravishing beauty.   

Secondly, as Eve moves in, we should find how the other characters move into her camp. Love is regarded as wave, a valid distinction of emotional or physical wants that moves a character from one person to the other. Those moments can be clearly defined with only a minor adjustment.  The dialogue tells us movement is made in that direction, but the physical and emotional actions are not entirely realized. Lloyd doesn’t show us that he is completely in love with Eve and Karen doesn’t recognize that he’s slowly losing his husband. And, oddly enough, no one looks at Eve as though she was heavenly sent.

L - R Barry Brisco, Esther Guigui, Dahlia Waingort Guigui, John Mese, and Eric Keitel

 

 

Dahlia Waingort Guigui (Margo) gives a remarkable performance, a theatrical diva who manages to avoid the conflicts of those around her, possible thinking about herself and her work. (As most divas do.) There is a moment, near the end of the play, where Margo seems to accept the things, she cannot control and holds onto her diva status as well. It is a marvelous moment filled with a richly deserved justice and a sublime ending to the play.

Esther Guigui (Eve) would be the antagonist in this play. This is a sinister portrayal of a woman with a sagacious smile, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants starting in small increments while moving Margo’s production people like one would move fallen chess pieces. Her bite is vicious and her bark equally offsetting.  Understudying is her next dream and when she builds upon that dream Margo’s dominos start falling.  Esther moves in a way that is beneficial to her character.  It is stoic at times. Perhaps there is room for this character to take notice to see if her words are having the desired effect and relishing in them. Esther Guigui is remarkable in the role.

Barry Brisco is Karen, and this casting is an unusual choice but worked on various levels. Karen tells the story reflecting on the past two years ago.  There may be more to add, reflecting on a painful memory of her life and how he was responsible for the rise of a new starlet and the demise of his marriage. Does he want his husband, or does he want to get rid of him? His relationship must rise, and fall given the disruptions. Brisco also must find ways to strengthen his relationship to his very best friend Margo and create a physical relationship with his husband.  Still, very good work.

Eric Keitel plays Lloyd the playwright and husband to Karen. Lloyd may be the first person who is truly infatuated with Eve, which we don’t get a sense of it in this production.  There is a moment when he immediately drops his husband and suggest driving her home. More development in the character is in order.  Keitel also appears too young for this role. He looks the part of the writer, glasses, and purple jacket but we never get a sense of the miles behind him.  We know where he ends up in the play, but we don’t see him moving in that direction or even questioning as to what he must lose taking another lover.  

John Mese is excellent as Clement.  He is a rock in his grey suit, always speaking the truth, and always cautious of one actor.  Not bowing to the moral incongruities of that industry, he is strictly business and with him it’s all about the money and trust. He is so very cautious about all relationships he must deal with in this obstreperous environment.   It’s a wonderful role and Mese is excellent in that role.

Michael Mullen plays a couple of roles Leila, a costume person who seems to have ADHD, not knowing where to turn so he turns in circles and grunts to accomplish his goals, unfortunately everyone suffers without paying too much attention to his antics.  He is suddenly relegated to the kitchen, the first casualty when Eve enters the picture. Tally Ho is another character and that character fairs better.   His best work is the Costume Designer, and that work successfully places the actors in the time and place. His work is excellent.  

Brady Gentry is Harvey the stage manager and is very engaging on stage. There may be more to add to his relationship to Eve.  Although Harvey is married, he might want to think about throwing it all away to fall in love with this woman, make her appear greater, help her with her performance, all for the sake of his undying love. He’s not just a stage manager but a footstool to give his love movement up the ladder to success. If she wins, he wins.

Mitch Rosander is Bert Hinkle an agent that now wants to represent after seeing her performance. His performance is fine but may need something a little more creative to get what he wants. Again, it’s about love or in his case lust.  

Corrynn Englerth is Vera the next girl in waiting, statuesque, demur and elegant.

Cayla Black is Vera but did not perform the night I attended. Mitch Hara also did not perform the night I attended.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Jeff G. Rack – Set Design

Derrick McDaniel – Lighting Design

Aviva Berger – Executive Producer

Mitch Rosander – Sound/Projection Design

Pete Handelman: Pedrospages.com – Graphic Design

Bree Pavey: Projection Graphics

There’s plenty of street parking.

The limited run is October 12th through November 24^th.  Performances are Saturday evenings at 8:00pm. An additional performance has been added, Sunday, November 24th at 7:00pm. For tickets and information visit: whitefiretheatre.com or call 818-687-8559. The Whitefire Theatre is located at13500 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks 91423.