Tuesday, 4/29/97 ‘Pittsburgh’ robbers come to West Coast Comedy
portrays brothers in wake of failed theft
By Stephanie Sheh Daily Bruin Contributor Just staying in the
same room with some people is impossible. Luckily, given the tiny
set (a single hotel room) and small theater, the actors from "10
a.m. in Pittsburgh" are not in this category. "10 a.m. in
Pittsburgh," the West Coast premiere of Rooster Mitchell’s newest
dark comedy, opened at the Santa Monica Playhouse last Friday. The
limited space works well and draws the audience into the intimate
developments on stage. The tale is of two dissimilar bantering
bothers, Lucky and Clay, who are confined to a hotel room after
committing a problematic bank robbery. The older Lucky, played by
Don Fischer, is a rough, crude man, who at the age of 16 went out
to buy cigarettes and never came back. On the flip side, James
Calvert plays Clay, an uptight, neurotic, recently divorced
businessman who follows the straight and narrow. The conflicting
characters argue about their predicament. Beneath all of that,
though, there is a struggle for communication and an understanding
about their difficult relationship. The chemistry between Fischer
and Calvert works. Whether they are beating up on each other or
sharing an emotional moment, it is entirely believable that these
two are brothers. The collaboration between Mitchell’s witty
dialogue and the actors’ strong grasp of their characters is just
as successful. The actors don’t necessarily play for the laughs and
that’s what makes their performances work. The directing in "10
a.m. in Pittsburgh" is equally commendable in setting up the many
levels of the play. And although the entire play takes place in a
hotel room, the attention to detail creates a lot of action and
keeps the energy moving. The one annoyance occurs when the actors
repeatedly look out the window. The audience gets the feeling that
the characters are not looking out for the police, because they are
worried that the cops will show up, but that they are looking
because they are reminding the audience that there is supposed to
be an underlying tension from the failed robbery. The failed
robbery is a source of constant conflict. The brothers are always
arguing about their plan for subsequent action. Their relationship
also waffles continuously – every time it seems like the siblings
have come to an understanding, some new conflict arises. Similarly,
the play is also constantly shifting between dramatic and comedic
moments. It does a good job of using comedy to break the dramatic
tension, but does not succeed as well in introducing the dramatic
moments. The success of the comedic breaks comes from Mitchell’s
brilliant and witty dialogue. For example, when Clay discusses his
divorce from wife Jessica, he explains that one day there was "no
more courting and just plain old court." A highlight in the night
also comes when Lucky talks about how sports are perfect metaphors
for relationships. When Clay says the metaphors only work for
baseball, Lucky challenges him. He says that in tennis Love is
zero, in bowling one tries to avoid the split and in golf you only
have three or four chances to hit the hole. Although the play is
fast-paced and funny, dramatic efforts remain an obstacle. This is
especially obvious in the play’s conclusion. The ending comes off
as a maudlin and unnatural attempt to heal Lucky and Clay’s
relationship. It seems like an obvious attempt at a conclusion. But
wonderful writing and believable performances overshadow the
flatter dramatic moments to create a genuinely enjoyable evening
for theatergoers. Even though initially Lucky and Clay cannot stand
being in a small room together, the audience does not mind it one
bit. THEATER: "10 a.m. in Pittsburgh" runs through June 8 at the
Santa Monica Playhouse. Tickets are $15.50 with discounts for
students, seniors and teachers. For more information call (310)
394-9779, extension 1. John Waroff Lucky (Don Fischer, right) lives
up to his name in a game of high card with younger brother Clay
(James Calvert) in "10 a.m. in Pittsburgh," now playing at the
Santa Monica Playhouse.