STAGE REVIEW : Culture Clash Living Up to Its Name

Society’s contradictions, visible everywhere in downtown Los Angeles, are echoed in the new Culture Clash piece, “S.O.S.,” subtitled “Comedy for These Urgent Times,” at the Japan America Theatre. Yet that echo of street reality is in need of some amplification.

“S.O.S.” is still in its emergent stages and uneven, but it is also full of promise and often masterful. The unevenness is not surprising, given that much of the material was written in response to recent events. The artists (Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, Herbert Siguenza) state as much: “ ‘S.O.S.’ is not our new show, but more a reaction to the events that shook us all. The show is composed of recently written material and pertinent Culture Clash classics.”

The full-evening show, engagingly directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela, is filled with stinging impersonations (Prince, Michael Jackson, Julio Iglesias), jokes, outrageous one-liners and grotesquely funny skits.

Among the highlights are “Dona Flora’s Family,” a frighteningly funny portrait of a dysfunctional family given to lustful domestic violence, and Montoya’s “S.O.S. Spic Talk,” a superbly farcical newscast featuring current events, exposing L.A. politicians and presidential candidates with refreshing venom.

Montoya is also featured as Angel to Our Lady of Guadalupe in one of the evening’s slowest segments, the overly long and under-funny “Angel’s Flight.”

Siguenza’s impersonations are as captivating as ever, particularly the classic Iglesias rendition that serves as a critique of the new Spanish colonialism. Salinas’ bit as a salesman peddling maps to the homes of Hollywood stars humorously critiques the absence of Latinos in the media and entertainment industry. This segment, along with the hilarious “American Me/An American Tale” parody, will shine to a high gloss, once polished.

More than ever before, Culture Clash is living up to its name: foregrounding the clash of cultures in the Americas in general and contemporary Los Angeles in particular. The group was born from the devastating socio-economic realities of an era that has seen a steep rise in Chicano/Latino poverty rates and continued unequal access to education. The performers refer to this inequality in their “Artists’ Statement”: “How can we ignore the Quincentennial, the Rodney King case, AIDS, the NEA censorship and the election of yet another Republican?”

So “S.O.S.” is traversed by references to the Los Angeles uprising, to the failings of multiculturalism, and (as a gag) to Luis Valdez’s inability to find a Latina to play Frida Kahlo in his upcoming film bio of the Mexican artist.

Culture Clash inherits the millennia-old native satirical tradition of the Americas as well as television sitcom, MTV, the Chicano movement and mainstream Hollywood. The powerful tensions between alternative theater and mainstream television and/or feature film aspirations are palpable and still productive in the group’s work.

Yet their fine amalgamation of comedic material is problematic in its male-centeredness. Though the performance features various visiting artists (notably the Wet Pack Players), only one of these is a woman.

Unfortunately, Ramona Gonzales is featured only as an athletic body, a mute icon. The interesting reversal of the Mexican Legend of the Volcanoes, at the onset of the performance, puts the Indian woman in a position of power. Yet that moment remains a token one.

Montoya’s defensive joking about feminism comes in the form of his intermittent question: “Why do feminists hate me?” Culture Clash will no doubt find answers to their own questions.

“S.O.S.” Japan America Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles. Tonight, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. $18. (213) 680-3700.