Orange Lemon Egg Canary
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Newman, Schneider
Photo by Ed Krieger
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By Joseph N. Feinstein
Rinne Groff has come up with a "Great" idea: Brett Schneider has just the right look, feel, and voice to become "Great." Somehow, the Orange Lemon Egg Canary play becomes one rather insipid exercise and leaves its audience sitting in suspended animation, waiting...waiting...waiting for something to happen. And when it does, it's nice, nothing marvelous, oops...nothing "Great".
Great is the name of the protagonist: a magician when he's working, a philanderer most of the time. He's surrounded by Trilby (Elizabeth V. Newman), who has been stalking him ever since she first saw him; another woman called Egypt, China, or Hubba Hubba, if you want a more accurate name, played engagingly by Martina Lotun; and the ghost of Henrietta (Ann Moller), who makes appearances just when we need a bridge to change scenes.
Great slowly learns to trust Trilby,who has a passion for magic, and initiates her into his world by teaching her tricks. None of the characters say anything important. They smoke horrible fake cigarettes, which annoy the audience, and they attempt a few "magic" tricks which we've seen a hundred times before. The title of the play alludes to an illusion Great's grandfather performed to the amazement of his audiences. All this is presented in a sort of monotone, matter-of-fact way, which neither surprises nor amazes. All we can do is wish and pray that they stop smoking those awful-smelling cigarettes.
The main action of the story appears to be waiting for Great to say the magic words "I Love You" to Trilby. Can she convince him to say those words? My response is, "Who really cares."
Rinne Groff tries to blend a love story, a ghost story, and a magic act into entertainment. Unfortunately, she does not succeed. Director Talya Klein does the most with the material at hand, but the script's weaknesses make it hard to salvage.
Great comes into the audience twenty minutes before the play begins to do magic tricks. Those may be his finest moments.
Orange Lemon Egg Canary The East Theatre @ The Complex 6476 Santa Monica Blvd. (between Wilcox and Cole Avenue) Los Angeles 90038 Tel. 323-960-7862 Plays Thursday - Saturday @ 8:00 p.m.; until April 5 Tickets $25
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