STAGE REVIEW : OCC Cast Brings Significance to Play ‘Insignificance’

Albert Einstein is holed up in a miserable hotel calculating the shape of the universe. A red-baiting senator (Joe McCarthy?) comes by to threaten and cajole him into naming names at the hearings on so-called un-American activities.

Marilyn Monroe drops in, desperate to “talk smart” about the specific (not the general) theory of relativity. An enraged Joe DiMaggio nearly huffs and puffs the door down, thinking Marilyn’s been sleeping with the confused scientist.

That’s the significant plot of Terry Johnson’s wildly unbalanced but often wonderful (and even provocative) play, “Insignificance.” Yes, the same “Insignificance” that director Nicholas Roeg turned into a generally acclaimed 1985 movie that launched Theresa Russell and co-starred Gary Busey and Tony Curtis.

A cast of Orange Coast College drama students had the nerve to tackle this rambling, head-tickle of a story over the weekend in the tiny Studio Theatre and, despite some acting stumbles in two of the main characterizations, did a more than respectable job of pulling it off.

Director Paul Klees could have exhibited more control but was still able to plumb both the play’s giddy humor (DiMaggio dwelling blissfully on his many appearances on baseball trading cards) and energized philosophizing (Einstein talks about his Unified Field Theory; Marilyn shows she actually understands relativity, and the senator boasts that he’s a solipsist).

True, the production did start off slowly, with uncomfortable, nothing-happening pauses as Einstein (Eric Person) sat on his bed, looking pointless. And when the senator (Kelly Flynn) blustered in, everything seemed more out-of-control than involving.

But things picked up considerably when Amy Von Freymann, as Marilyn, came calling. Marilyn flounces around, then insists they discuss Einstein’s work; she hopes he’ll have different expectations of her than all the other men, and he does. Einstein, not familiar with her movies, likes her because she’s intelligent. This might seem like a precious plot element, but, in the context, it creates an endearing scene.

As Marilyn lifts toy props out of a bag to display her knowledge of the theory (she uses a couple of miniature trains to duplicate the famous example of the space-time continuum), she shows a brilliance that ironically plays with our preconceptions of her. Johnson’s writing makes this a pleasure to watch.

And so does Von Freymann, who was able to evoke Marilyn without resorting to mimicry. Her performance was the show’s highlight--sexy, touching and nicely scaled.

Mark Salamon as DiMaggio also showed skill. Who knows what the rather private DiMaggio was (is) all about? Salamon never assumed to. What he gave was a natural and funny portrayal of a not-so-bright guy who’s out of his league in a marriage with Marilyn. You could hear his mind thudding along but Salamon made the character’s witlessness human, even endearing.

Unfortunately, Person and Flynn didn’t fare as well. Person just wasn’t looking comfortable Friday night and could have been under-rehearsed (he missed a few lines). As for Flynn, he mistook loudness for evil. Malice is usually more deadly when it comes in a calculating package, not a brouhaha. But Flynn’s senator was just windy with foul air and, ultimately, hard to take as seriously as we should.

‘INSIGNIFICANCE’

An Orange Coast College production of Terry Johnson’s play. Directed by Paul Klees. With Amy Von Freymann, Mark Salamon, Kelly Flynn and Eric Person. Set by Steve Maddy. Light and Sound by Steve Shaeffer.