Stage Reviews : Analysis From a Machine in ‘Protect Me’

Di Di Von Von Von Von Von Frithenburg has had a rough day. She has been through a car crash, an aborted encounter with a guy who might have been great, an embarrassing luncheon, a pink slip from her job as a boutique clerk.

What’s a former debutante to do?

She goes to her analyst, of course--in her case, a 24-hour automatic analysis machine. “Protect Me From What I Want” is her personal code that grants her access to the machine--and it’s also the title of Di Di’s dialogue with her disembodied analyst, as written and enacted by Sharon Barr at the Pink, a Santa Monica nightspot.

One of Di Di’s fervent wishes is “a world without mirrors,” where she didn’t have to be so self-conscious. It’s not surprising that Barr might feel this way, for her looks are certainly eye-catching. She’s tall and blond, and her long limbs assume awkward positions that reflect the dishevelment within Di Di’s personality.

At first, her material seems artificially jokey, and Di Di’s too much the flip, exotic kook. But the zingers grow both wittier and weightier as the 38-minute show nears its end.

Tony Abatemarco directed with his customary eye for the offbeat moment of truth, and J.D. Abramson designed the sound and speaks the analyst’s lines.

At 2810 Main St., Santa Monica, Thursdays and Fridays at 8:30 p.m., through May 11. Tickets: $7.50; (213) 466-1767.