Liquid ladies
The Lunch
By Alex De Witt
Directed by Fern R. Lopez
Liquid Productions and Cosmic Breeez, Inc.
The Jose Quintero Theatre
Equity showcase (closed)
Review by Doug DeVita
Artifice runs rampant in Alex DeWitt's
"The Lunch," an ambitious new comedy that tries to imagine what it
would be like if "Sex and the City" were written by Pirandello. It is
a play about dreams clashing with reality in a semi-surreal world. That it
succeeded far more often than it didn't speaks for the amusing conceit of its
premise, the generally fine level of the writing, the outrageously on-target
performances and the rock-solid production delivered by director Fern R. Lopez.
The strongest aspect of DeWitt's script is
the clever way in which she savagely comments on every kind of NYC personality
waging total war with one another, while keeping things as light and sometimes
as frothy as a mid-'60s sex farce. While every single character could be deemed
offensive, nothing offended, because of the humorous but clear-sighted truth
behind the work's conception and delivery. While it took a while to warm up to
its Absurdist tone, and it lacks a satisfying ending, it nevertheless is an
ambitiously entertaining work that stings and soothes concurrently.
DeWitt took on the most obnoxious character,
an aging, self-involved movie star on the downslide of her career, and turned
her into an obnoxious, whining, and shrieking delight. She was matched every
step of the way by Joan Pelzer and Sharon Anne Frances as her two
best friends, Pelzer alternately glowing and glowering as an expectant mother,
Frances surgically precise as a woman clawing her way up the corporate ladder. J.T.
O'Connor, as the only male member of the cast, managed to be both wimpy and
authoritarian at the same time, and his take as a befuddled, helpless director
was a scream. Ericka Kreutz was simply perfect as the much-put-upon
waitress who served the women much more than the titular lunch.
The restaurant setting by Josh Zangen
was gorgeous, and beautifully lighted by Jeffery Koger. Jonathan
Starr's costumes were also terrific, changing with astute aplomb as the
women and script dictated.
If The Lunch sometimes suffered from
an excess of cleverness and ambition, DeWitt nevertheless is a playwright with
a point of view and the talent to back it up, and her work was presented with
the care and expertise that every young playwright deserves.
Writing: 1
Directing: 1
Acting: 2
Set: 2
Costumes: 2
Lighting/Sound: 1
Return to Volume Ten, Number Nine Index
Return to Volume Ten Index
Return to Home Page
Copyright 2003 Doug DeVita