Review: THE POLYCULE: A COMEDY OF MANNERS at Loft Ensemble

Jillian Blevins’ world premiere THE POLYCULE: A COMEDY OF MANNERS at the Loft Ensemble in North Hollywood is a satire of the complexities of identity and modern relationships. When Fern (Macedonia Bullington) goes to meet her lover Andy’s (Alejandro Mungaray) partner, Elise (Bita Arefnia-Johnston), to see if she’ll fit into their polyamorous relationship, she’s introduced to their entire gaggle of friends who are all involved in their own dysfunctions. Already nervous, she’s wholly unprepared for the insanity. There’s So. Much. DRAMA.

The characters are all distinct and vibrant while Fern, the straight woman (so to speak), gawks at the lunacy swirling around her. Elise is threatened by Mira (Rosie Ryden), Andy’s other lover. Queer Vee (Ingacio Navarro) is a gossipy asexual. Kyle (Andrés Garcia Arriola) and partner, Gary (Silas Jean-Rox), have an open relationship, though Gary isn’t so sure about it. And they’re all involved in countless complicated combinations.

Inspired by Moliére and written in rhyming verse, Blevins’ show is a fun set-up and at 70 minutes, it goes fast, blowing in a like a tornado, which works both for and against it. While it’s a crisp runtime, it might be better served if there had been a little more breathing room. A little more nuance to both the characters and the script would have given the show much more weight. As it is, it’s quite broad, which, yes, is part of the point, but that point would be sharper if it were toned down a bit. The resolution is also a little pat, too, considering how frazzled so many of the affairs are.

Director Sean Alan Mazur makes good use of the stage (the scenic design by Madylin Sweeten Durrie is creative and itself makes good use of the stage, incorporating a dining room, living room, and kitchen in a not very big space), moving his actors in tight choreography. The show, however, would also have benefited from bringing the energy of the actors down a couple of notches, too. They have moments that are so over the top, they strain credulity. Fight choreographer Bree Pavey has her work cut out for her and she rises to the occasion. The physicality is quite real considering the limitations of stage, without the editing afforded to cinema.

Bullington brings a wide-eyed, girl-next-door quality to her WTF Fern and Navarro is a crack-up, but it’s Jean-Rox who is the MVP with his deadpan humor as insecure Gary, who is falling apart but pretending he isn’t. He informs a complicated role that is the least flashy of the mix aside from Fern. Dialing his performance down shines a light on how good he is.

In the end, THE POLYCULE: A COMEDY OF MANNERS pokes fun at polyamory, pansexuals, asexuals, and the like but also expresses how complex those roles are. While open relationships can work for many, they don’t work for all. And both are OK. The lesson in the end is that everyone is different and leaning into and accepting those differences is the real strength.

Photos by Sean Durrie

THE POLYCULE: A COMEDY OF MANNERS is performed at the Loft Ensemble, 11031 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood, through October 6. Tickets are available at LoftEnsemble.org or by calling (818) 452-3153.

 

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