Actors Co-op Greg Martin (left),
Staci Armao (center) and Nan
McNamara star in "The Devil’s Disciple."
“The Devil’s Disciple” Actors Co-Op,
at The Crossley Terrace Theatre 1760 N. Gower St. (323) 462-8460
Through Dec. 16
Solid performances and strong material are the highlights of the
Actors Co-Op production of George Bernard Shaw’s “The
Devil’s Disciple,” which otherwise suffers from bad
choices and an awkwardly staged ending.
The play, set during the Revolutionary War, tells a story about
love, heroism and dying for what you believe in. Written by Shaw, a
playwriting icon, the performance is benefited by the complexity of
the characters and situation. Richard Dudgeon, played by Scott
Damian, is the lead character and the most layered of the group.
Torn between being the “devil’s disciple” of the
title and a hero, Dudgeon’s character is the most rewarding
aspect of a well-written play.
Damian’s performance, along with Annie Gagen as Mrs.
Dudgeon (his mother), is the best of the evening. Greg Martin and
Nan McNamara are also strong as Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.
One annoying and distracting aspect of the play is the
company’s insistence on using a fog machine ““ for no
apparent purpose. The opening scene takes place in a kitchen,
which, thanks to the noisy machine, fills with fog that spills over
into the audience. Why the kitchen is covered with a heavy, rain
forest mist is anyone’s guess.
Another fault was the ending, which often felt rushed and
insincere. The play closed with a dance scene, the choreography of
which apparently baffled the mix of children and adults that took
the stage. The patriotism and celebration of the final minutes
seemed forced.
Mary Williams
“Sunday Show & The Angry Inch” ACME
Comedy Theater 135 N. La Brea (323) 525-0202 Running
indefinitely
“Wow, she has really perky nipples.” Good
observation! This quirky piece of dialogue is among a host of other
somewhat impressive lines in the new sketch comedy collection
“Sunday Show & The Angry Inch.” With a steep
admission price of $12, the cozy 99-seat ACME theater provides an
intimate forum for the comedians to work their magic under the
direction of M.D. Sweeney.
The all new show, which opened October 7, features aspiring
young comedians. Though it started with a dull and cheesy organ
solo, the show soon gave way to entertaining sketches with humorous
high points. The amateur performers created some truly inspired
material. Especially noteworthy was Ali Elk, whose comic stylings
made the show more than tolerable. “Signing Off” and
“Information,” both featuring Elk, were particularly
refreshing and showed that new comedic talent is rising.
However, several sequences in the performance showed that these
comedians still have much to learn. One sketch in particular,
“Homecoming,” featured a racially driven stereotype
that came off as not only crude, but comically unsuccessful as
well. Another, “Chew on This,” exemplified that an
important part of comic timing is brevity. An actor in the sketch
successfully wasted five minutes chewing, only five seconds of
which was even mildly humorous.
But for all the wasted time, the majority of the skits at least
provoked a chuckle. Other noteworthy sketches included “Kelly
In the Sky,” “Remote Control” and “A Lesson
in Safety.” The latter featured singing hippies from Berkeley
who humorously warn second grade students to be leary of men in ski
masks running after them. There was also a scene in “Mrs.
Levin Plans a Wedding” featuring Kate Luhr as a neurotic
mother meddling in the planning of her daughter’s wedding and
causing the dedicated wedding planner to go insane. Her pinpoint
portrayal of the nightmarish mom was enough to elicit a lynch mob
mentality from members of the audience.
From obnoxious moms to overzealous chewing, the show is full of
ups and downs. The pop culture that the troupe integrates into its
humor is definitely symbolic of a new emerging comedic class. While
the show may not suit all audiences, Generation Y should be able to
connect and laugh enough to have an enjoyable evening.
Siddarth Puri