‘Nuthin’ Nice’ Hurt by the Narrative

In the aptly titled “It Ain’t Nuthin’ Nice,” writer Hal Ackerman attempts to make meaningful the 27 months, 10 days, 12 hours and 34 minutes that Tommy Lamey spent as a “guest of the state,” incarcerated on drug charges.

A dabbler in cocaine, Lamey offered shelter to his drug-dealer friend, only to find himself in the possession of 50 pounds of the drug with the police knocking at his door. His arrest leads to jail time and eventually prison, where he is confronted with a constant “level of impending violence.” While the traumatic events (assault, racism, uncaring guards and murder) certainly are a testament to the depths of human depravity and the resilience of the spirit, Lamey’s one-man show at the Zephyr Theatre suffers from Lamey’s limited acting ability and Ackerman’s overwritten and under-edited scripting.

With Lamey’s flat narration, the repetition of key phrases such as the title are more annoyingly obvious than poetic. The rhythm of Ackerman’s script, as staged by Paul Linke, is marred by Lamey’s unmelodic reading.

How odd that the person most connected with this tale should be so wrong to tell it. Perhaps Lamey is still too close to the events to successfully interpret them. In the end, it ain’t nuthin’ good.

* “It Ain’t Nuthin’ Nice,” Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Tuesdays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Ends July 31. $15. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 2 hours.