Sargent Double Bill ‘Fury’ at the Olio
The generic ‘90s mythic hero of Michael Sargent’s striking plays, “Big Boy” and “I Hate”--young, beautiful and passionless--pops up again in his one-act “Rat Songs,” the second half of “Fury” at the Olio Theatre. This time he’s lusted after by his roommate in a youth detention center, his partner in a daring escape and a Genet-esque search for the siren rats of his friend’s imagination.
But Sargent’s aim is not as sharp here. Other characters seem totally extraneous and don’t advance the central theme. Kergan Edwards’ direction helps--as would stronger focus--and Eric Close and Michael Vaccaro perfectly capture the emotional hunger and desperate search for identity of the hero Robbie and his doomed friend.
The opener is another Sargent one-act, “When Esther Saw the Light,” but it’s derivative and silly, far from Sargent at his best.
At 3709 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake; Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 17. $15; (213) 466-1767.
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