Hollywood, Through Eyes of a ‘Cleaning Man’

Understatement is a quality so inherent in “The Cleaning Man” at Chandler Studio that this courtroom docudrama isn’t even set in a courtroom--it’s just a deposition conducted in a conference room. Yet in its quiet, unglamorous way, writer-director Michael Holmes’ original adaptation confronts the glitzy facade of Hollywood through an obscure sideshow in the scandal-steeped aftermath of Rock Hudson’s AIDS-related death. In the process, Holmes raises significant questions about the hubris of stardom, personal responsibility and the complexities of legal accountability.

Holmes created the piece from a transcript he came across while sorting through the effects of his late friend John Dobbs, who had been a member of Hudson’s domestic staff. Because Dobbs had closely observed Hudson’s closeted life, he was called to testify in the lawsuit filed against the estate by Marc Christian, Hudson’s “kept” lover, who claimed the actor had endangered Christian’s life by concealing the truth about his condition.

As portrayed by John Beckman (presumably accurately, given Holmes’ personal insight), Dobbs is a sentimental, ineffectual fellow who had become a human doormat during Hudson’s tyrannical final days and is doomed to repeat that fate in the course of giving his deposition. The testimony treads a nerve-racking tightrope, balancing Dobbs’ initial sense of outrage on Christian’s behalf against his later conviction that Hudson’s estate manager (played by Ray Merritt) had, in fact, tried to work out a fair settlement with Christian (Richard Scofield). Maintaining his dignity under initial questioning by the estate lawyer (Joseph M. Hoffman), Dobbs crumbles under relentless scrutiny of his own motives and involvement from Christian’s attorney (Carlos Garcia).

Having set out to stage the transcript verbatim, with minimal creative liberties, Holmes incurs some inherent limitations and challenges. Factual accuracy dictates the onstage presence of Scofield, Merritt and Linda Dean as a dutiful court reporter, superfluous since the action is entirely between the witness and the two attorneys. Without editorial sharpening, the dialogue is at times rambling and obscure. On the other hand, the piece is informed with an authenticity and urgency that comes from real life.

* “The Cleaning Man,” Chandler Studio, 12443 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 4 p.m. Ends Jan. 21. $10. (818) 908-4094. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.