Advertisement

‘The Bones of Lesser Men’ by Yves Lola St. Vil at Met Theatre

Share

In the most complimentary sense, Yves Lola St. Vil’s “The Bones of Lesser Men” at the Met Theatre is an ensemble piece that follows in the stylistic footsteps of the late August Wilson.

Set in a diner that serves as the heart and soul for an impoverished African American neighborhood, this new dramatic portrait of contemporary inner-city life crackles with rich dialogue and sharply observed details -- strengths that far outweigh occasional lapses into melodrama.

A fine 10-member cast brings vivid characterizations to the regulars who pass their time in Elly’s Place, trying to carve out dignity and respect amid circumstances that afford little of either.

Advertisement

Pinning hopes on unattainable dreams is their common pitfall. Proprietress Elly (Staci Ashley) still waits for news from the husband who deserted her years ago. Figuring prominently in the plot, the rising career of an unseen black politician seems to offer the promise of a better life, particularly for his abused mistress (Randa Walker) and for an idealistic supporter (William Christopher Stephens). An old-timer (Carl Crudup) clings to outlandish tall tales about his encounters with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Only the diner’s resident cynic (Freedom) recognizes the shallowness of their illusions but at the terrible cost of his own resignation to hopelessness.

Under L. Flint Esquerra’s finely tuned direction, these characters flawlessly pivot from engaging comic eccentricity to gripping confessional soul-baring.

St. Vil’s assured playwriting hand is evident in her finely honed narrative and the efficient mechanics with which she sets up conflicts and gets her revolving characters on and off the stage. The main limitation here is the way they cycle through revelatory monologues -- however eloquently crafted and performed -- in a predictable, almost obligatory rhythm.

Also, the dramatic ending twist would have greater effect if we had built up more sympathy for the tightly wound character on which it depends. Nevertheless, this compelling drama never fails to engage.

--

Philip Brandes

“The Bones of Lesser Men,” Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Ends Oct. 12. $15. (323) 860-7300. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

Can’t make heads or tails of reprise

Advertisement

It’s an unusual play that doesn’t contain at least one or two redeeming production elements. “The Great Election,” a rental production running at the Odyssey Theatre, is that rare exception. From the tiniest design feature to the overall creative concept, the show is an unalloyed disaster that wouldn’t pass muster at amateur night in Dixie.

“Election” is reportedly a “refined” reprise of a 2004 production, also an Odyssey rental. Writer-director John Stark may have gone back to the drawing board, but the resulting rendering is still an illegible scrawl.

Loosely based on “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town,” Stephen Leacock’s highly regarded 1912 satire of a small town in the Canadian provinces, Stark’s unwieldy adaptation is set at the turn of the last century in the Western outpost of Pahrump, Nev. The action, at least, what can be pieced together, concerns a fractious Senate debate and the antics of the colorful citizenry, bitterly divided among the Democratic tavern keepers and the Republican churchgoers.

Motivations are murky, and baffling expositional passages feature characters chattering endlessly about offstage characters who may or may not appear. Anachronisms abound. The makeshift costumes plant us firmly in the Old West, but references to terrorists and parking lots fracture the time frame.

A cartoonish set, flanked by a towering donkey and elephant, strives to set the proper mood for Stark’s intended romp. That the performers -- shameless muggers all -- enter through the animals’ rumps is obviously intended as a sight gag but is unintentionally ironic, a telling indication of the production’s lowly provenance.

--

F. Kathleen Foley

“The Great Election,” Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends Oct. 12. $20. (310) 477-2055. Running time: 2 hours.

Advertisement

A tale of a fateful trip, full of regret

Awash in rueful regret for lost loves and shattered ideals, Nick Salamone’s new nautical drama, “Sea Change,” is a downbeat tale of a fateful trip aboard a tiny ship.

A series of seafaring journeys charts the course of three gay males and two lesbians through a quarter century of choppy emotional and spiritual waters. It’s an uphill climb, for characters and audience.

A pivotal 1974 summer afternoon launches the story, as five passengers set sail that day for a whale-watching tour. Helming both the physical craft and the sensitive psyches of his collegiate comrades, skipper Gene (Ryun Yu) tries to make the others comfortable while reluctantly revealing his intention to enter a seminary. When his former mate Sunny (Nick Cimiluca) sensibly wonders what Gene wants to do in a church that hates him, he replies with ambivalence worthy of St. Augustine that he wants to do good -- but not yet. There’s an uptight Republican (Clay Storseth) on board whom he wants to loosen up before taking his vow of celibacy.

A lesbian couple -- an unstable romantic poet (Lisa Tharps) and a hard-headed rebel (Fran de Leon) -- complete the ship’s complement of social castaways. Embodying the theme of continuing isolation and ostracism facing homosexuals, the play unfolds entirely on the double deck of Gary Reed’s striking boat set.

Jon Lawrence Rivera’s sensitive staging successfully evokes the passage of time in these characters. The first scene celebrates the uninhibited hedonism of their student days (with full frontal nudity, primitive as can be).

Advertisement

During subsequent trips, they have to make the best of things as tragedy and sober responsibilities intrude. Unfortunately, the tone is relentlessly brooding -- a little levity would go a long way toward calming the turbulent swells on which the tiny ship is tossed. If not for the courage of the cast and crew, this show would surely be lost.

--

Philip Brandes

“Sea Change,” L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Davidson/Valentini Theatre at the Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Oct. 12. $20-25. (323) 860-7300 or www.lagaycenter.org/boxoffice. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Advertisement