Having first experienced the theatre according to Neil LaBute in 2002 with The Mercy Seat at New York's MCC Theatre, he has come to be a playwright I feel ultimately comfortable enough with to go blindly into a production, avoiding any research or book scouring – as is often the case before reviewing a production – as he constantly delivers masterful stories, often at the expense of my own sex, the male. It has become a pleasure of mine in submitting to the unknown and allowing LaBute to take me down an often-abrupt path full of clever characterizations and layered plots.
With his latest West Coast premiere of
Some Girl(s) at the Geffen Playhouse, LaBute has delivered yet another exceptional piece of theatre, scouring to the depths of male bashing with utter finesse. And to ensure the production is living up to the book's potential, its playwright has directed as well, although LaBute's stronger suit is directing screen rather than stage (not counting that horrendous misstep called "The Wicker Man").
As flashing lights fill the intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen and the Rolling Stones blare over the PA, the scene is immediately set for yet another wild ride courtesy of LaBute. Sibyl Wickersheimer's extremely chain styled hotel sets capture the sleek yet soulless core of the central character.
Some Girl(s) is essentially four one act plays, each chronicling the journey of the aptly named Guy (Mark Feuerstein) as he selfishly visits girls from his past to find some kind of closure with each of his jilted lovers, or so he lets on, before marrying his latest victim. By his own account, Guy is no stranger with the ladies, and after creating a flow chart of ex lovers, narrows it down to four key players.
At its core,
Some Girl(s) attempts to discern why certain people leave lasting impressions, often causing injuries in their parting wake while remaining unaware of the harm they have inflicted on everyone close to them.
Feuerstein, as the target of LaBute's punishing look at the male species, embodies the ultimately self-centered brat with such conviction, that I found myself squirming at times out of sheer guilt for being a guy, albeit quite a different one than the type LaBute often crafts – or so I hope my past relationships would attest to. Gosh, I hope I don't need to start making unexpected visits to discover why my connections always seem to fall apart at some point. Thanks Neil!
Much of
Some Girl(s) plays out like a boxing match, with Guy having a knockout round with four drastically different ladies, each time losing the battle of wits, whether to scornful remarks or sexual trickery, all at the hands of his many better halves. And with so many better halves running around, Guy is left with little to nothing in the soul department by the end of the play. He becomes merely an observer to the emotional discovery of
Some Girl(s), who in actuality are the real key players in the production.
Round one: Sam (Paula Cale Lisbe), the old high school romance, coldly dropped before prom night, is called to meet Guy at a local hotel, where he anxiously awaits a blast from the past. Lisbe, with her girl-next-door good looks and sweet nature, is bottled up with an extreme case of passive aggressiveness that trickles out of her one nervous tick after another. As Guy reminisces about their long ago connection, and supposed mutual breakup, as in "we broke up," she is all too eager to correct this snafu, affirming it was he who broke up with her and that there was nothing mutual about it.
Sam's refusal to allow Guy to pass the blame onto her in any way, and his constant refrain from accepting such a reality captures the essence of men that LaBute so perfectly enjoys deconstructing. They are oblivious to anyone other than themselves, at least when it comes to deep-rooted emotions.
Rounds two and three: Guy's next conquests are the saucy tough talking Tyler (
Justina Machado), a woman unafraid to turn up the sexual heat during their similar hotel rendezvous across the country, and Lindsay (Rosalind Chao), a stern authoritative figure both older and wiser, not to mention still married to the man she had an affair on with Guy. Tyler, with her upfront nature, is able to take the lead from the very first "punch," taking Guy off his guard and throwing him into a befuddled state of mind, and Machado is full of red-hot appeal with her wicked tongue and equally sinful wit. Chao captures her character's cold demeanor, only briefly covered by a thin blanket of revenge towards her unsuspecting prey.
The final round: Jaime Ray Newman, the most powerful of the four girls, has the greatest emotional fight to tackle as Bobbi, the one that got away. During one of his previous one night rehashes, Guy realizes he might have missed out on the best love of all, and when his true motivation for flying to see these girls is exposed, there is a fleeting glimpse of loss in his otherwise melodramatic heart.
By the end of
Some Girl(s), the lesson LaBute has put fourth is simply, self awareness often comes too little and too late for any type of honest reconciliation. In Guy's frustrating refusal to realize the continual harm he causes to those unfortunate enough to open their hearts to him, I see reflected much of the repressed darker thoughts often coursing through my own mind when confronted with real emotions. Only, in
Some Girl(s)' case, Guy is too stubborn not to act on them.
Some Girl(s) runs at the Audrey Skirball Theater at the Geffen Playhouse through March 9. Tickets range from $69 to $74 can be purchased at the Geffen's box office, located at 10886 Le Conte Ave. in Los Angeles, online at GeffenPlayhouse.com or by calling 310-208-5454. Student rush tickets are available one hour prior to curtain for $15. And for more from
James Sims visit www.simsscoop.com.
Photos by Michael Lamont. (1) Mark Feuerstein and Justina Machado. (2) Paula Cale Lisbe. (3) Mark Feuerstein and Jaime Ray Newman.
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