|
|
|
Review brought by dcmdva-arts.org/ "DIMLY PERCEIVED THREATS TO THE SYSTEM" by David Sobelsohn Jon Klein's clever satire "Dimly Perceived Threats to the System" runs through March 15 at the Arena Stage's Kreeger Theatre under the steady hand of Arena's outgoing Artistic Director Doug Wager. "The System" is the modern nuclear family, here represented by the Hausers, and the threats are serious. The Hausers include corporate consultant Marlys (Jacalyn O'Shaughnessy), filmmaker Josh (Terrence Caza), and punk daughter Christine (Gretchen Cleevely). In the Hausers' first scene together, in a parody of corporate dismissals, Josh tells Marlys he and Christine have "decided to let you go" as wife and mother. Meanwhile, Josh is working on a documentary exposing the "hypocrisy of the conventional American family." In Josh's first scene at work, his producer Megan Lone (Holly Twyford) comes out as bisexual and then comes on to him as well. Daughter Christine wears a t-shirt proclaiming "Meat Stinks," subsists on coca-cola and french fries, and spits in her classmates' baloney sandwiches. In her first scene at school, school counselor Mr. Sykes (Bill Kux) brandishes a power drill and offers Christine an immediate lobotomy. These three scenes typify "Dimly Perceived Threats": characters' fears and fantasies materialize on stage only to vanish just as suddenly. Each scene is preceded by a jargon-packed title taken from a dictionary of sociology, flashed on a huge screen against the back wall and intoned in reverberations by a ghostly voice. While the Hausers approach meltdown, Josh's mother lies dying in a nearby hospital. Her doctor (Brigid Cleary) can't diagnose grandma's malady nor provide her any treatment; she explains only that "her system is being threatened." As that line indicates, at times the symbolism in "Dimly Perceived Threats" comes on a bit heavy. But Klein has a keen ear and writes witty dialogue, and with the help of an able cast his satire hits home. Standouts include O'Shaughnessy, who convinces us as a modern woman caught between the demands of family and career; and Cleevely, who personifies the uncontrollable '90s brat whose parents have given her everything but attention. Twyford gave a sexy spin to Lone, and Cleary did well in the dual role of the Dr. Grey and a fantasy version of Christine's grandmother. Thanks to director Wager, the entire cast showed a fine sense of comic timing. Credit must also go to Tony Cisek's set design, which required nearly 20 scene changes, and to Nancy Schertler's lighting, which sometimes provided the only way for the audience to distinguish the characters' reality from their fantasies. Jon Klein's "Peoria" opens later this spring at the Woolly Mammoth. Watch for him to do to small towns what he does to families and health professionals in "Dimly Perceived Threats." -end- For further information see http://www.arena-stage.org/ Return to DC, MD, VA Arts Home Page |
|
