Review: WIPEOUT Rides a Wave of Success at B Street Theatre

The B Street Theatre has been riding a wave of hit after hit, continuing with Aurora Real de Asua’s surfing comedy, Wipeout. Set in one of my favorite locales, Santa Cruz, Wipeout explores the friendship between three unique women. Rolling surfboards, a hunky instructor, and the bluntness that comes with age make this an engaging, relatable, and completely hilarious take on how our relationships –with ourselves and others – change in each season of life.

Cautious, responsible Claudia’s (Stephanie McVay) only wish for her birthday is to spend the day taking a surfing lesson with her two best friends. One of them is angry and reluctant, the other can barely remember why she came. As they float offshore and wait for their instructor they rehash and reminisce, painting a picture of lives so intertwined that any fissure may cause an irreparable chasm. As we discover, there is indeed a large crack caused by Gary’s (BW Gonzalez) advancing memory issues and Wynn’s (Jamie Jones) inability to accept change. When Blaze (Hunter Hoffman) enters the picture, he offers more than a lesson and a pretty face. As he takes each woman out individually, we get a glimpse of their innermost thoughts and fears in these impromptu counseling sessions.

McVay is the show’s sleeper hit. As Claudia, she comes in very vanilla and, just when you are sure she couldn’t get any duller, suddenly hits you with some deadpan hilarity a la Rose of the “Golden Girls.” Gonzalez is a marvel – her Gary is sassy, bold, and adventurous despite her challenges. Gonzalez delivers it all with authenticity. My favorite, however, is Wynn. She shares a name with a Las Vegas casino and is utterly unapologetic about her bitchiness and boundaries. What could be better? Jones is great in this role – she stands out in characters that are a little contemptuous, sarcastic, and grouchy. Another B Street favorite, Hoffman, is the glue that ties all of the loose ends together with his fresh, yet also stereotypical, Blaze. His expressions could tell the entire story, but he adds in some artful preening and California-esque “Whoa, ladies!” much to the audience’s delight. He’s not just another surfer dude, though – he’s a nod to the fact that we should never judge a book by its cover.

I was wondering how an entire play could be performed on water. I needn’t have worried, for what appeared to be an utterly nondescript set was transformed into the undulating and vast beautiful azure of the Pacific through the lighting and projection visions of Dylan Ballestero and Lynnae Vana. The creative team did a wonderful job in mimicking our coast, although I did wish that Claudia’s otter sighting had turned out to be the infamous Otter 841, including a visit to one of their boards.

Wipeout is definitely worth the ride, and you can experience it yourself through May 26th. Tickets may be purchased online at BStreetTheatre.org, at the Box Office at 2700 Capitol Avenue, or by telephone at (916) 443-5300.

Photo credit: Rudy Meyers

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