“˜Bradbury X 2′ misses target, lacks creativity

“Bradbury X 2″ Theatre West 3333 Cahuenga
Blvd. (323) 851-7977 Through March 30

Keep holding that book unless watching two convoluted plays on
opposite sides of the “serious” spectrum sounds
appealing. “Bradbury X 2″ is a compilation of two plays
that start off intellectually enticing but end leaving the residue
of a completely wasted evening. Produced by Ray Bradbury,
“Bradbury X 2″ is composed of two different plays:
“The Chicago Abyss” and “Any Friend of
Nicholas Nickleby’s is a Friend of Mine.” Though they
sound mildly entertaining and creative, the plays fall short of any
qualities that make them a successful production for college
students. “The Chicago Abyss” recalls the story of a
man who remembers how things used to be before their world survived
an episode of nuclear apocalypse. The play is a poignant effort to
entice the audience into seeing how a man who remembers the little
things in life (like kazoos and bicycle clips) has such a hard time
living in a world full of strict rules and small rations of
vegetable and bean soup. Though the acting is semi-touching and
moving, the storyline couldn’t have been any more boring. It
is a little 1984-esque when the man tries to escape from the
“Special Police,” who offer an award of 10 cans of
vegetable soup for his capture (though the people didn’t turn
him in). The play doesn’t invoke as much interest as
“Lassie” does. “Any Friend of Nicholas
Nickleby’s is a Friend of Mine” is at least a more
entertaining story. Recounting how a 12-year-old boy met and
influenced Charles Dickens to write “A Tale of Two
Cities,” the play is really about a midwestern town full of
people with identity crises and how they deal with them. The whole
town suffers from this identity crisis; even the barbershop boy,
who dreadfully needs to have his vocal chords chopped, wants a new
name. Charles Dickens (aka crazy lunatic) is a failed writer who
attempts to be Dickens to find out who he really is. There’s
even a woman who pretends to be Emily Dickinson. Dickinson and
Dickens fall in love and move to the country side (aka mental
home). A redeeming quality that makes the second play worth
watching is the quasi-senile grandma. When asked what she thinks of
a novel, she gives lines like, “I read about this day in the
Bible “¦ everything ends at noon,” which makes the play
entertaining. Overall, the production is not suited for college
students who need a relaxing night away from the high
intellectuality and pressure of college. More for an older audience
who enjoy missed attempts at profundity, “Bradbury X
2’s” ticket money can be better spent watching
“Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.”

Siddarth Puri