Half of Plenty
The Rogue Machine is a relatively new theatre company made up of people I respect. They have taken over the old Theatre Theatre on Pico and turned it into two very serviceable theatre spaces. In the larger space a play developed at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, Half Of Plenty is having its West Coast Premiere. The play is written by Lisa Dillman, who has a body of work being done at regional theatres across America. It is kind of a kooky story of a couple that drifts apart when economic pressures and the Neighborhood Watch come between them. The strain is not helped by the presence of the man’s aging father who seems to be suffering from dementia.
Tindall household is in the midst of a crisis. They live in the path of a nearby airport and are constantly being rattled by overhead planes and moving pictures and eventually walls within their house. Marty Tinsdall (John Pollono) works for a firm that makes boxes. He is having trouble keeping up especially now that his father (Robert Mandan) has taken up residence. Mandan’s character can be found on any given day wandering the streets or being strapped into a lounge chair shredding a newspaper. Holly Tindall (Carolyn Palmer) is a medical transcriber who falls in love with the doctor’s voice and allows her fantasies to soar until he asks to meet. Marty turns to the nosey, pushy, fascistic neighbors, Hector Zook (Ron Bottitta) and his cut out wife Mitzi (Betty Zajko). Marty ends up joining the nightly watch that spies on the neighbors and forces any house that seems to want different things, to toe the line. Holly meanwhile goes steadily insane.
The play is well directed by Barbara Kallir who finds whatever humor is in the piece. The actors are all good but the Tindalls do tend to push when things fall apart. Falling apart on stage is difficult and must be accompanied by specifics thoughts and actions or the actors end up playing generalizations. Ms. Palmer needs to be more specific in her actions and Mr. Pollono needs to stop touching his hair all the time. One gesture repeated gets tedious and ends up being distracting and meaning very little. The neighbors are more successful and I particularly like Ron Bottica’s work. His choices were clean, clear, and very funny. Robert Mandan is his usual excellent self. I ended up watching him much of the time because his work was fascinating to watch. This is an interesting piece and the company a welcome addition to the LA theatre scene. Half of Plenty will play at Theatre Theatre until June 21.