On The Spot Theatre's Smog
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
(out of )Last season, Betty St. George produced the successful Christopher Durang play Laughing Wild. This witty two person play told of a man and a woman leading stressful urban lives. Now, local playwright Nick Newberry, author of Mamah and the children's play Refrigerator Magnets, has been taken under the wing of local playwright/producer Terry Earp and her fledgling On The Spot Theatre to produce a similar piece in the same space. Smog is a coming-of-age story set in '60s Hollywood, and one man and two women with remarkably interconnected lives share their symbiotic tales with the audience. The script and production are cute and entertaining, but are missing one very important element: dramatic action.
Mr. Newberry, who wrote, directed and designed the piece, has three older people reminisce about growing up in Hollywood during the '60s, a seeming Left Coast version of Christopher Durang, even with similar Catholic and sexual hangups. Not unexpectedly, the most interesting tale is spun by the lone male, played by Kerry Ellis. There is no doubt that this character is Mr. Newberry's persona, and Mr. Ellis even looks a bit like the playwright. His tale is at turns hilarious and heart warming. Mr. Ellis gives a solid performance of this Catholic boy who is slowly delivered from innocence to sinful sexuality. One man and reminiscence shows are not easy to perform, but Mr. Ellis makes it look simple, drawing the audience into his tale of monasteries and Frederick's of Hollywood, all set under the Hollywood sign. His observations about puberty, burgeoning sexuality, and loss of faith are fast, furious and funny, and his conversational connection to the audience is the most interesting part of this uneven production.
Maggie Wade gives a competent performance as the fading blonde bombshell "Lady Menthol," a former cigarette commercial actress who never makes the transition to the age of living color. Her character's similarity to a never-successful Monroe is well-captured, although her character lacks a lot of the depth of Mr. Ellis', making for an interesting, though unavoidably facadal, performance.
The least interestingly drawn and performed character comes from the de facto caretaker of the Hollywood sign, played by Evelyn Colby. Her stories come from left field a lot of the time, and are not nearly as interesting, believable, or comically accurate as the others with whom she shares the stage. This character is a stretch, and an unflattering one, and Ms. Colby's hesitations and miscues make the character even less interesting and bearable.
Textually, the show does have many funny and accurate comedic moments, and rises and falls in its entertainment level, as some of the interweaved monologues work and others don't. The biggest problem with this script is a basic one common to one-man, reminiscence and coming-of-age shows: It's cute, and it's funny, but cute and funny are not compelling dramatic choices. Conflict and tension help to propel a piece. The tenuous interrelationships between these three characters sharing the stage are not even touched on until the second act, causing my guest and I to wonder at intermission if we would really miss anything if we left. The answer is, yes, we would have, but it doesn't seem to be quite enough of a motivation to have sat through the two hour performance.
Visually, Mr. Newberry's designs were quite impressive, combining unexpected set, lighting, and audio/visual elements to compliment the production. Considering the small space, the show deserves major technical kudos.
Smog is an interesting reflection on growing up in the
Hollywood of Monroe, Frederick's, Oscar Meyer and Kennedy. There
are several laugh-out-loud moments, and even a few touching instances.
If only something more dramatic existed in the world Mr. Newberry
has created, the show might have the same emotional and social
impact as a Christopher Durang piece.
Production Details:
Smog by Nick Newberry
On The Spot Theatre, Phoenix
997-4989
January 8th-January 31st, 1998