Thursday, October 15, 1998
‘Lonely Hearts’ hopes young will learn to love live plays
THEATER: Youthful group produces adoption story aimed at
20-somethings
By Louise Chu
Daily Bruin Staff
Fade in: A young woman tosses her head back in a delightful
chuckle, her long brown locks settling on her delicate shoulders,
as she looks up at a strongly built man of 23 who is resting an arm
on a nearby banister and returning her bright smile. A brooding
young man with a rich tan and thickly gelled mane looks on with an
ashy cigarette and dark wit. Enter a blond gentleman, donning
metal-rimmed shades, who joins the sunny afternoon
conversation.
The sight of an attractive quartet of young adults lounging
casually on a picturesque corner of stone steps evokes a familiar
image. Perhaps a new Aaron Spelling show has begun production.
Ironically, the quintessential band of 20-something urbanites
finds a more creative medium for their artistic struggles. The four
are linked by their theatrical roots, most recently joining for
"Leftover Hearts," a play centering around the passion and pain of
the post-Generation X voice.
"I was actually disappointed by the lack of truthful roles for
younger people," says Sasha Krane, writer and director of "Leftover
Hearts." "It seems that there are a lot of stereotypes: the drug
dealer, the angst-ridden adolescent, the James Dean this, the new
Marlon Brando that … Either that, or you do Spelling work and
stuff like that, which is great work for some people on television,
but I think if you want something meatier, it’s about where to find
it."
A disillusioned actor in the New York and Hollywood scene, Krane
decided to create his own ideal roles. Through poetry and stream of
consciousness writing, he emerged with his first play, "Leftover
Hearts."
Largely autobiographical, the story follows 23-year-old
Sebastian (Ron Moreno) and 20-year-old Jennifer (Marisa Parker),
who meet at an adoption agency. Adopted as infants, they come to
terms with their roots and must make certain decisions about their
lives.
"In the ending, there’s actually a bit of a plot twist," Krane
explains. "I don’t want to give that away, but it’s basically a
pseudo love story between and boy and a girl."
Together with Moreno, whom he befriended at the Lee Strasberg
Theater Institute in New York, Krane moved out west to Los Angeles.
Here, they met Lucas Jarach, now the producer of the play.
"We’ve got a real family mentality out here because L.A. can
just be a pool of sharks," Krane says. "It’s really cutthroat, but
here we stick by each other. It doesn’t mean we can’t do other
projects and work with other people, but we know we’ve got a home
to go back to."
Despite personal attachments, Moreno is quick to dispel any idea
that their endeavor is simply a friendly venture.
"It started out basically as friends and stuff – friends coming
together because we trust one another, and we know one another’s
work," Moreno says. "But it is very professional."
Krane says, "This is no tree house club kind of thing. There’s
no secret passwords here or anything, no knocking on doors. We’re
here to work."
The New York-bred pair arrived in Los Angeles to penetrate the
fertile acting scene. But once they turned to theater, they found a
gaping void in the medium that they are determined to fill.
Working with the Lee Strasberg Creative Center, Krane is
committed to creating material that is aimed at a young audience.
He would like to build interest in the art form, especially in a
demographic that has been lost to film.
Krane says that the image of the theater-going audience as
"stuffy old people coming in there with their pretensions and their
art house" is "nonsense." He intends for his work to speak for his
generation.
"It’s about real feelings," Krane says. "It shouldn’t be that
you have to drive a Lexus to go to the theater."
He chose to settle in Los Angeles because he sees it as "virgin
territory." While New York has already fostered a solid fan base
for theater, Angeleno theater productions have much to
overcome.
"New York is kind of a ‘been there, done that,’" Krane says.
"Out here, there’s so much great theater space. The fact that it’s
not being used, or it’s not being seen, (is) a shame.
"Of course, maybe it’s hard to compete with ‘Armageddon,’ but I
think that theater is a very viable place, and I think that kids
are very interested in it. We’re going to be the new film and
theater audiences of the future, so they may as well ingratiate
(themselves) with the theater."
In an effort to draw the under-30 crowd into theaters, the Lee
Strasberg Creative Center will offer nights of free admission for
those under 30 years old.
Coupled with this unusual opportunity, Krane hopes that
"Leftover Hearts" will keep the under-30 audience returning by
relating his play to contemporary issues. His use of adoption as a
central theme in the play is best perceived as a "theatrical
device;" a vehicle to raise more encompassing questions, including
how people see the quality of their lives.
"Is it just enough to survive, or do you really want to live?"
Krane proposes. "(Do you want) to get the most out of it, to take
responsibility for your own life, or do you just want to get
by?"
Himself adopted, Krane presents the circumstances as an extreme
representation of a larger sense of loneliness that he feels
plagues many young people.
"To a certain degree, I think everybody wants that acceptance,
that family, that safe haven to go to," says Parker, who plays the
adopted Jennifer in the play.
As high as their goals are, the artists behind "Leftover Hearts"
intend to make a difference in young people’s perceptions of
theater, as well as people’s perceptions of young people.
"We can call it naïve, we can call it idealistic, whatever
the hell you want to call it," Krane says. "It’s honest, and it’s
raw. It’s not about people. It’s about emotion, and that’s
something that’s universal."
THEATER: "Leftover Hearts" opens at the Stage Lee on Oct. 23,
with a preview on Oct. 22. For ticket information, call (323)
650-7777.
Photos by Peter Michelena
Gladys, played by Summer Rodriguez, is the younger sister of
Jennifer, Sebastian’s girlfriend, in "Leftover Hearts."
Jennifer, played by Marisa Parker, and Sebastian, played by Ron
Moreno, play an adopted brother and sister.
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