Feast of Fools Theatre's Pulp Fiction at Third Street Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 2/15/98
Revised 2/19/98
(out of )Earlier in the season, Michael J. Alessandro successfully staged an adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. This production caught the eye of reviewers, producers and non-theatre people alike. While the show did have it's flaws, it was a worthy effort, and had the makings of an interesting stage play. Now, with Mr. Tarantino's guidance and support, Mr. Alessandro has attempted to adapt the more successful film Pulp Fiction to the stage, and while a tighter production overall, the results are not quite as interesting or effective as the play with which it is now running in repertory.
Pulp Fiction is an homage to those over-the-top thrillers in both print and celluloid that revel in quirky characters, odd situations and lots of blood and gore. There are three basic plots that weave their way through each other. The first, Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife, centers on two professional hitmen and the interesting evening that one of them has with his powerful crime bosses new wife. The second, The Gold Watch, centers on a down-and-out boxer with one last shot who double-crosses said crime boss and must flee, but not before retrieving a crazily sentimental gold watch. The third, The Bonnie Situation, takes place immediately after the first, and follows the two hitmen as they clean up a unique kind of accident, then share a meal at a coffee shop.
First off, Mr. Alessandro's direction is tight, sometimes even showing a flair for movement and using the space well, and his work as Vincent Vega is impressive. Unfortunately, he has given himself a doomed job as the adapter of this script. Where Reservoir Dogs is a character-based script, and can move, with some work, from screen to stage, Pulp Fiction is much more about atmosphere, and putting it on the same set for Dogs is a disservice to it's basic concept. While these characters are just as quirky as those in Dogs, since there are more, and they overlap so readily, they are not as neatly fleshed out, which makes watching them for over two-and-a-half hours a difficult and confusing proposition. Where I could simply watch what was onstage for Dogs, I found myself having to refer back to the movie to get my bearings during Pulp Fiction.
That said, there are several good performances, and several off performances in this piece. Top of the list are the laid back presentations of Mr. Alessandro as Vincent and C.J. Fletcher as buddy Jules. They don't try to recreate the onscreen personas of John Travolta and Samuel Jackson, and this is the best thing they can do. The lines are nearly the same, but the characterizations are modest and true.
Mike Saar and Linda Griego offer good performances in their various roles, especially as the odd Bonnie-and-Clyde couple of Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. Also solid are Marty Berger and Kenny Brodie in their cameo appearances as Captain Koons and The Wolf respectively. Finally, Dexter Benjamin gives a simple but effective performance as crime boss Marsellus Wallace.
A few of the performances were not quite as impressive, running from slightly off to somewhat annoying. Angelica Frost's portrayal of Marcellus Wallace's wife, Mia, is pretty much a one-note affair, lacking the power and cattiness needed for that character. Charicatures of performances came from Steve Galindo and Paul Huebl as the backwood boys duo, and from Audrey Coclough in her myriad of roles. Jim Yue does a passable imitation of Bruce Willis as the boxer Butch, but lacks any discernible chemistry between himself and his kupie-doll like companion Fabian, cloyingly played by Danielle Palmer.
As mentioned before, Mr. Alessandro and Felicia Fowler-Alexander's set does not work, since it lacks a feeling of the locations, and Amanda Sosa's lighting design is generally functional, and occasionally artsy, though it has it's share of missed opportunities and moments.
Fans of the film of Pulp Fiction may enjoy listening
to the lines of this show, but may feel gypped at the loss of
atmosphere. As with Reservoir Dogs, one positive result
of this adaptation maybe the introduction of theatre to people
that would ordinarily not attend. Unfortunately, as opposed to
Reservoir Dogs, this adaptation may send those same newcomers
away with a negative view of the stage.
Production Details:
Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction adapted by Michael J.
Alessandro
Third Street Theatre, Phoenix
256-7898
February 6th-March 7th, 1998