DistrActed
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Porter, Wilson
Photo by Craig Schwartz
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By Joseph N. Feinstein
I have a feeling contemporary playwright (and philosopher) Lisa Loomer is mad as hell and won't take it anymore. In her new play, which opened Sunday, she has something to say about: dust, pollen, mercury, asbestos, Muslims, Gays, Jews, President Bush, credit cards, cell phones, teachers, schools and, primarily, drugs and their impact on all of us. And, yet, the theme of this two-hour comedic, laugh-out-loud frolic is the need for every parent to do what's best for the child, no matter what the doctors, teachers, counselors tell us.
Erika Sellin has assembled just the right cast to handle Ms. Loomer's material: Rita Wilson is Mama and Ray Porter is Dad who come to realize that their son, Jesse (Hudson Thames), is different from all the other children. Their neighbors, Sherry (Marita Geraghty) and Vera
(Joanna Day), only serve to illuminate Jesse's difference by virtue of their children's more "normal" behavior. Bronson Pinchot serves as several different doctors attempting to sell Jesse's parents on his need for Ritalin, while Stephanie Berry's multiple roles as a teacher, nurse, counselor, and waitress add mirth to the proceedings. Don't forget Emma Hunton's Natalie, who is Jesse's baby-sitter with myriad problems of her own.
The play is done on an open stage with entrances and exits coming from either side of the proscenium. And, most cleverly, there are two giant screens in the background greeting patrons with snippets from any of a hundred different television programs representing yet another of the thousands of distractions we have all become accustomed to in today's world. Once in awhile, the camera pauses, and we can hear some important or trivial remarks from the mouths of Kennedy, Bush, Letterman, or Chris Rock. It's a stroke of genius!
As good as each of the actors are - and they are - this play belongs to Ms. Loomer. Her lines, her thoughts, her insights into this world of ours, the mastery of which seems to be getting away from all of us. The many distractions, upheavals, pressures, and stresses of marriage, parenthood, and life are given time, attention, and, most of all, humor. In one scene, Dad turns to Mom and says, "Let's talk about ADD...let's talk about your mother!"
In a sexy moment, while trying to forget about their son's problems, Dad says, "Let's have sex!" Mama responds, "I'm not in the mood" to which Dad retorts, "I'm not in the mood either; should that stop us?"
Listen for the numerous "asides" each of the characters will make to an eager audience, not exactly ready for them, but so appreciative that they're there. The play is like a Dickens or Thackeray novel come to life as the characters steps out of their roles to give insider information on what they are really thinking and feeling....a very clever technique.
So much of the success of this show is due to Leonard Foglia's superb direction as he keeps actors moving in and out, hither, thither, and yon on the wide open stage. For a change, I had no difficulty hearing the actors, even when they turned away, so I salute Jon Gottlieb for a great job of sound design. Russell Champa's lighting is equally superb, adding the necessary touches to heighten our focus on the actors' remarks.
"Intelligence is not having the answers, but knowing where you need to go to find them!"
In this case, spend the money and the time and do go see Distracted. It truly deserves your attention.
Distracted Mark Taper Forum @ The Music Center 135 N. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, 90012 Tel. 213-628-2772 Tickets $42-$55 Tuesday - Saturday @ 8:00 p.m.; Sunday @ 7:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday @ 2:30 p.m. Through April 29.
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