BWW Reviews: Group rep Hits the Mark with TIGER BY THE TAIL

Tiger by the Tail/by Frawley Becker/directed by Jules Aaron/Group rep/through April 19

One faces an undeniably horrendous situation that will only get worse before it gets better...and the clincher?... it is fueled by love. That's the trap created by Frawley Becker in his play Tiger by the Tail now playing in its West Coast premiere at Group rep in Noho through April 19. The tender theme is made sweeter by smooth direction and a terribly appealing cast. For those who are not afraid to follow their feelings for romance and take the plunge into the realm of the unknown, Tiger by the Tail is most worthwhile.

Becker seems addicted to the sordidness of prison life, which he presents exceedingly well as Maynard Lipiche, an inmate in a Florida prison (Dave Buzzotta) takes out a personal ad to which 45 year-old Jerry Arnold, a California therapist (Michael Taylor Gray) responds. Arnold, who has previously been married and has had a homosexual partner, is now single and 'desperate' for romantic attachment...and, unfortunately, is attracted to 'bad' boys. In therapy himself with Peter Gordon (Lloyd Pedersen) he is trying to understand his needs but in spite of Gordon's warnings proceeds with the letter writing. Lipiche it seems is quite the poet and Arnold adores the iambic pentameter, falling right into the trap.

As in most plays of this type, there is some built-in difficulty simply because the two lovers are not physically together. Arnold is on stage right in LA and Lipiche on stage left in prison. As they write to one another, the two actors come center stage to express a more intimate contact. It takes fine acting to bridge this gap, and, thank heavens it is here in abundance. Gray presents a mix of emotions, mostly Arnold's loneliness and vulnerability. Lipiche remains a mystery at first, and then as his story of crime unfolds it becomes clearer who he truly is and what his intentions are. Buzzotta really brings out Lipcihe's pain and his deep-seated longing for a better life. In a fantasy scene at play's end, where the two men come together, touch and hold each other momentarily, there is at least temporary satisfaction, and as a dramatic device, it is so rewarding to watch, as beautifully played by Gray and Buzzotta.

Pedersen gives Gordon some delicious moments of human frailty. Others in the cast include Lareen Faye, who brings great dimension and warmth in one scene to Miriam, a social worker who is holding Lipiche's poems. Bob McCollum makes a mean and nasty prison guard named Kelly; Marco Antonio Parra is dynamic as the victimized prisoner Alfredo, and Todd Andrew Ball brings out the gruffness of prison mail-carrier Slocum. Michael O'Neil plays the good-looking sexy criminal in Act I - I will not spoil the dramatic ruse here as to who he is in the play. A real standout in the supporting cast is Steven West as Marcus, a giant black man accused of burning down a church with his mother inside. Singing gospel and portraying a gentle.as.a.lamb personality, West is mysteriously fascinating to watch throughout. Jules Aaron has staged evenly from top to bottom and Michele Bernath does nicely with a choreographed gavot in Act I. Chris Winfield's set of the two dynamically opposed locales is first rate.

The play really comes to life in the scenes within the prison walls. Bullying and brutality never let up, and Becker conveys it all in a perfectly realistic manner. When the quieter moments arrive in the piece, expressed through the lovers' letters and words, they add a fine sense of comfort and caring even though ephemeral. Becker is an intriguing writer whose Tiger by the Tail is most worthy of your attention.

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