Wednesday, February 12, 2003

By Anna Rosenstein

(These two unfinished plays were staged in informal workshop productions.)

Not many new plays nowadays thoroughly embrace realism. That could be due to a joyous return to the magical potential of theater or a lack of narrative strength and character development. Certainly the first two plays in the CMU New Works Festival aren't giving any nods of thanks to Chekhov. Yet there are things that each could advantageously borrow from the Big R.

'The Planet on 158th Street'

Clark Perry's play is a sci-fi romp that plays with magic realism a la Jonathan Carroll, in which other worlds, especially worlds created by artists, seep into everyday life. Perry likes the concept of multiple, co-existent dimensions. He just tries to put too many of them on stage.

	CMU New Works Festival WHERE: Wells Video Studio, Purnell Center, CMU campus, Oakland. WHEN: "Planet" 7:30 tonight, 3:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday; "Veronique" 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday. TICKETS: Free; 412-268-2407.

What Perry does nicely is create engaging characters. There's Lester, a sweetly innocent farm boy turned writer (Aaron Staton); Evelyn, a forward-thinking social activist who struggles to align her values with reality (Susan Heyward); Horace, a lost man-child who seeks answers in ideals such as love and politics (Tyler Poelle); Stan, another man-child who finds solace in women and alcohol (Davitt Felder); and John Doe, an amnesiac stranger terrified by his past (Danny Bernardy).

These characters travel in and out of their lives and a purposely silly sci-fi scenario. The whole thing gets rather muddled because Perry can't seem to decide whose story he's telling. He wants to make it Lester's, who opens and closes the play, but, as the writer, he's really tangential to the heart of the story. In the "real-life" scenes, the story belongs foremost to Evelyn and Horace, as their love falls apart amid social turmoil. Rightfully, though, the story is John Doe's. Every point Perry makes about our relationship to history and the future stems from John's situation.

It's too much for one play. In the end, Perry's main point is almost smothered. The idea that the existence of infinite dimensions can be both terrifying and comforting is moving, but Perry almost tacks it on. A tighter focus and a decided protagonist would illuminate the notion gradually and with the revelatory weight it deserves.

'The Tale of Veronique & Lem'

Ben Jordan's play is an unabashed love letter to Jean Genet. Bart's throwing a big party so he can don a costume, ride a towering tricycle and perform his death for his jealous and fearful admirers.

If you've never encountered "The Balcony," perhaps "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" will provide an apt frame of reference. Bart is obsessed with yet bored by narcissistic pleasure. Out of pure ego he creates a house the size of a city with rooms that offer sage counsel and sexual fulfillment. There's even a devoted servant who seethes with a mixture of reverence and hate.

In other words, Jordan's play has scads of style. It moves freely between the baroque and gothic. It's smart and witty and has some wonderful lines such as, "I love this room. It invokes so many memories that I never actually had."

"The Tale of Veronique & Lem" is, though, a little light on tale. Bart has to choose an heir before he dies, and he's got Lem in mind. Meanwhile, servant Veronique is itching for her share. Is the money or the land or the chance to learn about their own pasts what keeps them around?

Jordan doesn't explore any of it fully, but he wouldn't have to if he'd just pump up the character of Bart, who is whiny, ineffective and pathetic from the get-go. He's supposed to be incredibly powerful, even awe-inspiring. Sexy and manipulative would be good, too.

Additionally, Jordan cuts Bart out too soon. I wanted to see him perform his death as promised. And I found both Lem and Veronique much less interesting once Bart was gone.

I loved the representational costumes designed by Sarah Smith, and the play works well in a black box theater, performed in the round so the audience becomes party guests.

Also impressive are Van Hansis and Shashanah Newman, who play all the male and female roles besides the three leads in a nonstop parade of inspired vapidity.

Anna Rosenstein is a freelance critic for the Post-Gazette.

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