Curtain Calls

  The Theatre District at the Cast Alice
Ensor stars as Carley in Madeleine George’s comedic play,
"The Most Massive Woman Wins."

“The Most Massive Woman Wins,”
“31*21*50″ The Theatre District at the Cast 804 North
El Centro (323) 957-2343. Through March 10

Exploring the origins of big eating in Anywhere, USA, four
dissimilar women concur on a similar solution in Madeleine
George’s play, “The Most Massive Woman Wins,” the
first act of this production. By a series of flashbacks and
monologues, and with a liposuction-for-bliss platform, the actors
very vividly describe the various forces involved in shaping a
woman’s self-image. Set in the waiting room of a liposuction
clinic, the stage is dim but inviting ““ which can be symbolic
of the comfort and control that the female patients seem to find
there. For all of them, discrimination by parents, lovers and
potential bosses have guided them toward surgical transformation.
Especially provocative are Nancy Petersen’s and Jessica
Learned’s performances. In an Ally McBeal-esque whine, Sabine
(Petersen) decides that if she can’t change the world,
she’s going to change herself. She plans to wake up a
beautiful woman and get laid ““ probably a lofty goal for any
dessert-loving, self-respecting type. Overly-dramatic and
not-at-all overweight, the four actors promote a “you bit it,
you blew it” reasoning. But with society’s
influences to boot, their plights easily elicit empathy. In act
two’s “31*21*50″ by Max Riley, four new
characters converge in a Los Angeles café. Predictably, two
separate lunch conversations intermingle. Weight topics ensue early
on as viewers learn that Susie (Petersen) is intending to get a
face-lift. With the addition of Susie Kane (Joan) to act two, more
comical dialogue emerges. Susie is told that “living on
pickles won’t bring (a) moment back.” In short,
Riley’s act explains certain inevitabilities in life. Of
these inevitabilities, men should always wear briefs, and lunch
should often, if not always, consist of Fat Burger fries. Conveyed
through humorous banter and fast one-liners, “31*21*50″
sheds light upon the positive bonds between women of different
ages. Together, act one and two hash out numerous issues very
worthy of stage time.

Mari Nicholson   Geffen Playhouse Pastor
Dr. Jeremiah "Jerry" Mears (Francis Guinan, left)
looks on as Pastor Dr. Philip Gottschall (George Coe,
right) sermonizes.

“Behind The Counter With Mussolini” The
Great Scott Theatre, MET Theatre 1089 N. Oxford Ave. (323)
957-1152. Through March 30

Mozzarella, dictators and Italians named Joey, are three of the
many elements that make Marco Greco’s Italian-American play,
“Behind the Counter with Mussolini,” worth seeing.
Greco’s one-man show is a comical, passionate and touching
story about a young boy, Armando, who helps his father at the
family owned deli in the Bronx. Armando’s father, nicknamed
Il Duche, claims he was motivated to open the delicatessen by the
dictator himself. He swears that Mussolini picked him up as a young
boy and whispered “mozzarella” into his ear. From that
time on, the spirit of dictatorship entered his body and he went on
to rule his delicatessen with the same fierceness and power as the
famous Italian ruler. Armando grows up at the deli under the
supervision of his father in a world of cold cuts and cheeses,
surrounded by an ensemble of employees, all named Joey. Full of
amusing characters, “Behind the Counter with Mussolini”
will have audiences laughing, at some points even hysterically.
Greco manages to make each character distinctly unique, in
everything from posture to the Italian accent, so that viewers
forget Greco is alone on stage. Although the majority of the play
is humorous, there are certain scenes that are sincere and moving.
Overall, the performance is enthusiastic, witty, and has something
to offer everyone. This comedy offers laughs with its humorous
portrayal of the Italian culture, all the while charming audiences
with the struggling, yet intimate, father-son relationship.
Additionally, a big highlight of the play is when the audience is
allowed to sample the authentic mozzarella cheese made on stage.
Nevertheless, regardless of the free food, Greco gives a passionate
performance, keeping the audience captivated the entire time.

Michelle Sandoval

“God’s Man in Texas” Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Ave. (310) 208-5454 Through March 17

Excellent acting helps sometimes problematic writing in
“God’s Man in Texas.” The play is about an aging
pastor, Dr. Philip Gottschall, at a massive Baptist church in
Texas, who is being urged to retire. He tries to select his own
successor to take over the job, resulting in political maneuvering
within the church. And this isn’t just any church. It is the
product of Gottschall’s lifelong dream, and includes an
entire school system from kindergarten to college, as well as a
bowling alley, swimming pools and numerous organizations. Its
sermons are televised, and anyone who is anyone in Texas attends.
This huge establishment is represented by three characters in the
play: Gottschall, his audio/visual man Hugo Taney, and the
potential new pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Mears. These characters, played
by George Coe, Ian Barford and Francis Guinan, respectively, are
complex and fascinating. Their personalities make up for the fact
that this play relies almost entirely on dialogue. The three actors
are fantastic, giving performances that are moving and at times
funny. Barford steals many scenes as a recovering drug addict whose
lines provide much of the comic relief. A highlight of Coe’s
performance is the sermon he gives at the end of the first act,
which is both humorous and serious, exemplifying the stakes of the
situation. Writer David Rambo succeeds in these moments, mixing
comedy and drama, lightheartedness and serious themes. At times,
though, he takes on too much. While the play is about ambition,
politics and religion ““ big enough subjects to tackle in one
play ““ it is also about father/son relationships. It’s
this insistence on incorporating these relationships, both real and
symbolic, that leads the play to ultimately collapse under its own
weight. While there is resolution to the issues of religion and the
ways in which it becomes diluted, there is no finality to the
father/son topic, leaving the audience to wonder why they were
subjected to endless comparisons of good and bad versions of these
relationships. That’s not to say that the play is rendered
worthless by this problem. The strength of the characters and
actors, as well as the issues that are addressed more completely,
make it worth watching.

Mary Williams