Overwrought ‘Hour’ Mixes Sex, Politics

Talk about timing. Ralph Tropf’s “Shadow Hour” at the Stella Adler Theatre revolves around the plight of a U.S. senator accused of sexual assault by a romantically vulnerable female intern. Supposedly first written in 1993, Tropf’s take on Washington sexual politics is certainly timely. However, despite crisp staging and some impressive performances, the piece is didactic and generally overwrought, leaving no stereotype unturned in its headlong rush toward hyperbole.

The action flashes back from a present-day courtroom, where Sen. Adam Martin (David Ruprecht) is on trial, to various Washington locales, where Martin wines, dines and ultimately sleeps with Christy Connelly (Jennifer Gordon), his starry-eyed new intern. A bachelor, Martin takes Christy out for an evening that ends in sex. But is the act merely the ill-advised coupling between a lonely man and his confused but compliant underling? Or is it rape, as Christy is persuaded it is by the self-serving James Cote (Cliff Gober), a bottom-feeding D.A. trolling for a career-making case?

Barbara Passolt’s efficient direction of this large cast is logistically impressive but occasionally over the top--not surprising considering the melodramatic blueprint of the play. Overacting is prevalent, but the assured Ruprecht comes through without a particle of egg on his face. His scenes with Gordon, also fine, are steamy and authentic, crackling with genuine sexual energy.

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* “Shadow Hour,” Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Fridays-Mondays, 8 p.m. Ends Oct. 12. $15. (323) 667-2584. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.