Betty's Summer Vacation
Although Los Angeles theater-goers may be unaware of it, the
Long Beach Playhouse is the oldest, continuously running theater in
the West. In fact, last weekend it celebrated its 80th anniversary
with a huge blowout.
One reason why LBP has been able to sustain itself is a large
devoted subscription base that supports both of its stages.
Downstairs, the larger Mainstage presents popular community theater;
while upstairs, the small, 99-seat Studio Theatre produces more
sophisticated fare under an Actors Equity contract.
For years, both stages seem to attract larger ticket sales when
they mount British comedies and detective who-dunnits--which the
Mainstage undoubtedly will continue. But to start its 81st season,
the Studio Theatre stepped out of its safety zone and spread its wings.
Currently playing is Christopher Durang's wild outrageous farce,
"Betty's Summer Vacation" (his third Obie Award for playwriting). If
you're familiar with Durang's work ("Baby with the Bathwater," "The
Marriage of Bette and Boo," "Beyond Therapy") you know what a
fearless farceur he is. Talk about dare-devil satire! Underneath his
maniacal folderol is a serious cry of pain.
I've been a Durang fan since "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It
All To You" and "The Actor's Nightmare" hit the Southland in the late
eighties. Then many years ago, after the Studio Theatre mounted a
splendid production of "Beyond Therapy," I was hooked for good.
So congratulations to LBP on its 80th birthday; and kudos to its
board for having the courage to tackle Durang. We also take hats off
to the well-rehearsed ensemble who did their best to put the play's
demanding premise across. It's not the actors fault that this production
missed its mark.
To put it simply, "Betty" was woefully misdirected. In spite of
Robert Craig's honest intentions, he didn't have a handle on what
Durang was after. "Betty" won't work if it's presented as a bunch of
whacko, "aren't we naughty" crazies. It's not just a ha-ha, bawdy
comedy.
At its center "Betty" is an outrageous, explosive indictment of
contemporary American culture. With no holds barred, it involves
Betty (Laura Hughes), the naive young blond who leaves the frenetic
city and rents a cottage on the beach; Trudy (Allison Evans), one of
her room-mates who was raped by her father); Keith (Scott T. Finn),
a quiet guy who wanders around with a shovel and hat box); Mrs.
Seizmagraph (Margaret McCarley), the over-sexed landlady who is "up
for anything"; Buch (David Rusiechi), the horny stud with a constant
hard-on; and Mr. Vanislaw (Jim Rice), the homeless old geiser who
flashes everyone.
In the guise of farce, Durang is telling us our standards of
decency and morality have all but disappeared. He's calling
attention to society's obsession with coarse, raw reality TV;
celebrity indiscretion; sensational trials (Lorraine Bobbet, OJ
Simpson); serial killers, rape, and child molestation.
As such, the action must be presented full-speed-ahead, larger-
than-life and off-the-wall by a loose-cannon cast of characters who
behave like they're on speed or prozac or alcohol or whatever.
The audience might be led to conclude that it is watching a
spiced-up television show on stage; that the laugh-track they hear
in the play refers to society's addiction to TV situation comedy;
that the short attention span of the "voices in the wall" refers to
the dumbing down of popular culture.
That being the case, Betty is the only level-headed character on
stage; and she has her own problems. Not until everyone is blown to
smithereens (like suicide bombers) can she relax and listen to the
sound of waves on the beach which she longs for.
"Betty's Summer Vacation" plays on weekends in the LBP Studio
Theater through March 27. That gives the talented cast four weeks to
gear up, pull itself together, and deliver Durang's subversive parody
with all the farcical fury within it. For tickets, call (562)
494-1014 or visit www.lbplayhouse.com .