School for Suckers
If life were a test, we’d probably all get failing grades.
But a new show by six USC alumni students proves that even failure provides plenty of theatrical and creative grist. Solo performances by five cast members recounts their childhood trials, traumas, and tribulations that have carried over well past adulthood. The tweenish issues are universal in theme and appeal, but personal in its development and wry storytelling. Frustrations with: dating, identity, religion, communication and injustice lead to self-discovery with lingering self-doubts. They are the anti-thesis of Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” having come out of school never learning the most important things we all would like to know.
The one-man/woman show formula does carry the ever so faint and somewhat desperate air of shameless showcasing, but the fresh, saucy, hot new talent well makes up for this defect. After all, part of life is learning to put yourself out there and in this town, that’s Hollywood: 101, (and I don’t mean the freeway). Sharp, well-paced direction by USC recent grad Elissa Weinzimmer keeps the simple, straightforward performances from becoming too pedantic. It also makes the truth more powerful, effective with an edgy, raw glamour—kinda like eating Ramen noodles while paying off your student loan…if you’re able to pay it at all.
Leading with one of the strongest performers is Ben Giroux’s “Girls: The Final Frontier.” As the title suggests, Giroux is willing to “boldly go where no short man has gone before.” His schoolyard crushes include being crushed by a prematurely developing classmate who marks a definitive no on his “like me—like me not” note. Accompanied by the 2010: A Space Odyssey score, Giroux’s dating allure relies on: Febreeze fabric softener, Facebook “poking” and always looking up at the women he tries to pick up. One of the funniest and most memorable pieces, Giroux comically portrays the “other women” with a falsetto voice and his boundless enthusiasm and energy is delightfully infectious.
Juliana Tyson struggles with family disconnection and identity in “West Side Story.” Somewhat lacking in a cohesive storyline, Tyson’s acting abilities—aka, “Gringa McThespian”— buffer the inconsistencies and confusion starting with a hold up to saving a family party in the ghetto from a police raid. Her accents and physical comedy are spot on and charming. In “Not Aloud” Sascha Alexander’s quirky habit of talking too loudly almost robs her of her voice permanently, undergoing years of various screwball vocal therapies and possible surgery. Winsome and pert, Alexander effectively transitions from fear to fortitude nicely.
In the third and last pieces, belief in God explores two entirely different angles. John Dardenne gives the most serious piece of the evening sensitivity and heart in his “God is Adorable.” Growing up with Jewish and Catholic parents, Dardenne falls between the faiths as a staunch atheist, maintaining his belief “God is illogical,” even when his Maw-Maw asks him to pray for her before she goes into surgery. In “Maturination,” British-born James Robinson discovers that doing the right thing doesn’t always pay. In his extemporaneous and improvisational performance, Robinson closes the show on an evocative, resounding note.
Using the stage set from Elephant Lab’s current show, the basic five one-act structure hardly needs anything to dress it up, and clever lighting by Dan O’Brien completes the scenes.
Although, each act is a show within itself, the connecting thread tying these loosely related pieces together is the attitude and conversational style, a keeping it real quality. There are some growing pains here, in the occasional straining humor and youthful ambition. Nevertheless, as a whole the show and the cast give a completely satisfying production of admirable quality.
If their accomplished talents are any indicator at all, these USC alums have a bright future ahead of them. They prove what a band of artists can do when they set out to do something and do it well, and for that, they deserve much praise.
Throughout the play, a repetitive reference is made to everything “being as easy as baking a pie.” The message is simple. Life may not be as easy as baking a pie, but then again, who bakes pies anyway?
“School for Suckers”
Runs through Sept 30
Tues and Wed at 8pm
The Lillian Theatre
Elephant Theatre Co.
1076 Lillian Way
Hollywood
PH: 323-960-7822
www.SchoolForSuckers.com