Most would argue that Japanese anime and the American theater
have little to do with each other. The Los Angeles Theatre
Ensemble’s production of Adam Rapp’s “Stone Cold
Dead Serious,” however, manages to fuse the two together,
albeit not seamlessly. A cast portraying brutally realistic
characters, combined with a story line that darts in and out of the
virtual world leaves it up to the audience to try to make the
connection between the two. “Stone Cold” is the story
of a family that has fallen apart, seemingly beyond any hope of
survival. Wynne Ledbetter, a 16-year-old child prodigy and
video-game fanatic, is convinced that he can save his struggling
mother, handicapped father and drug-addict sister from their
respective fates. He plans to do this by winning the cash prize at
the national championship of “Tang Dynasty,” his
favorite computer game. Though Wynne initially seems completely
naive and unrealistic, he goes on to convince his parents, and the
audience, that he can actually win the competition by describing
his practice routine and all of the physical preparation and
philosophical study he has completed. It is apparent at this point
that Wynne’s endeavor is more than just a heroic attempt on
behalf of his family; this world is his only escape from the
hopelessness of his everyday life. Wynne then sets out for New York
City, where the championship takes place, making his way by
hitchhiking and taking public buses from his hometown, a small
suburb of Chicago. After the initial establishment of the Ledbetter
family’s situation, which was filled with sharp wit and an
incredibly realistic mix of humor and harsh reality, Wynne’s
character becomes unfortunately self-aware. He tells the man who
picks him up on the side of the road that he is on a journey,
implying a personal odyssey of sorts and revealing the
story’s message a bit prematurely. But the play does not stop
being enjoyable, especially when seen through the eyes of
Wynne’s mother and father, who continue reacting to
everything that comes their way ““ whether it is spilling
dinner on the floor or discovering that they have once again been
robbed by their junkie daughter ““ with the same sort of
bewilderment and helplessness. The appearance of “Snake
Lady” in the middle of the second act, an accessory character
in Wynne’s journey, lifts the mood of the play just as it
approaches the genre of pure realistic drama, something that in
this case would have been disastrous. The expert use of space helps
in grounding the piece, which could have easily spun off into
fantasyland without a somewhat realistic setting. The wasteland
that was the interior of the Ledbetters’ living room
transforms easily into other interior spaces and then back again. A
loft-type area on top of the wooden framing comprising the house is
useful in staging two simultaneous scenes in different locales. The
wooden frame covered with several anime murals serves as a constant
reminder of Wynne’s alternate reality. A solid ensemble cast
combined with expert direction carries the story throughout the
production, despite its slightly simplistic rendering of a
family’s struggle for survival. The concluding scene
partially redeems the rest of the piece, essentially offering up
the question of whether what Wynne did was enough and if it was
worth his sacrifice. The Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble and the cast
of “Stone Cold Dead Serious” took on a formidable
challenge with this piece, and ultimately have created a unique and
intriguing piece of theater.
““ Meropi Peponides