Thrown into ‘Brig’ with no hope

Calling a new theatrical production a prison sentence might sound like an unequivocal pan. But in the case of “The Brig,” the description is not only technically accurate, it’s also a complement of the highest order. This intensely brutal drama written by Kenneth H. Brown re-creates life in military jail with a verisimilitude that is riveting, appalling and unforgettable.

First produced in 1963 to great acclaim and some controversy, “The Brig” has been revived by the Living Theatre company and is playing at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. Those looking for an easy night of entertainment are advised to stay well clear of the barbed wire.

The play opens with a kick to the rear as 10 inmates in a generic Marine prison base are roused from sleep by their sadistic guards. Through the course of the day, these “maggots” suffer one form of ritualistic abuse after another, their humanity pounded into the ground and their dignity obliterated.

“The Brig” contains no plot or character development whatsoever, but that’s the point. Prison life is a series of backbreaking tasks without arc, climax or resolution. The brave ensemble cast endures everything that their characters do, which is saying a lot. In one particularly grueling scene, brilliantly staged by director Tom Lillard (an actor in the ’63 production), the prisoners are ordered to scrub down their communal cell as the guards shout, shove and have buckets of water thrown in the inmates’ faces.

Among the cast standouts are Andrew Greer as Prisoner No. 2, who suffers some of the most taxing punishments, and Bradford Scott as Prisoner No. 8, who has the great misfortune of dropping a pair of shovels in front of a guard.

It would be reductive to read “The Brig” solely as an antiwar drama, as it often is. The play operates closer to the rules of performance art or even abstract painting, inviting the audience to project what it wants.

There’s a case to be made that “The Brig” is even a fascist work of art in the way that it aestheticizes brutality and makes it mesmerizingly watchable. Leni Riefenstahl might have sunk her fangs into this material. But then again, any number of left-leaning directors might be equally attracted to it for completely different reasons.

Foretelling “Full Metal Jacket” as well as Abu Ghraib, “The Brig” is a fascinating and inscrutable theatrical object that’s also a guaranteed conversation starter. You may find yourselves still talking about it for days afterward.

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david.ng@latimes.com

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‘The Brig’

Where: Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Call for exceptions

Ends: March 30

Price: $25 and $30

Contact: (310) 477-2055

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes