Tuesday, November 17, 1998
Show merges comedy with romance
THEATER: Witty dialogue sells audience on tales of thoroughly
modern love
By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Staff
The Hudson Backstage Theater is a far cry from Shakespeare’s
Globe Theater. Seating is limited, machines hum in the background,
and crickets can be heard chirping at quiet moments in the play.
This sparse decor, combined with minimal sets and subdued costumes,
forces the audience to focus on the dialogue, which is the strength
of Emmett Loverde’s "Mergers and Acquisitions."
A series of short scenes on romantic relationships, the
production is a long stream of one-liners, with a non-stop barrage
of retort after retort. While it’s hardly earth-shattering
material, the crisp interplay between characters is involving and
easy to follow.
The opening vignette, "Power Plays," features Loverde, a UCLA
theater alumnus who plays Hollis, a man confused with the intrigues
of infidelity. He discusses his own unfaithfulness with a fellow
bar patron, Kimberley (Julia Murphy), as she needles him
mercilessly and challenges him to confront his past.
Hollis is caught up between his desire to settle down and
propose to his girlfriend, and a wandering eye that hungers for
cheaper pleasures. Murphy is well-suited for the sharp-tongued
Kimberley, upbraiding the confused Hollis at every chance. Loverde
fills the role of Hollis capably but lacks flair, seemingly
undermatched with Murphy’s dynamic stage presence.
Following this, a blind date at a coffeehouse unfolds in "A
Timely Maneuver," in which Reggie Blake (Paul Cummings) and Jane
Marwood (Lynne Donahoe) flirt in a most unconventional manner.
Operating under pre-determined time limits, Blake inquires whether
Marwood wants to sleep with him five minutes after meeting him,
making use of a ticking kitchen timer to test her reaction.
In a strange game of cat and mouse, each works around the
other’s assumptions in an attempt to win a second date. Both
Cummings and Donahoe handle their roles with ease, retaining both
the self-consciousness and arrogance of a first date. Neither wants
to appear vulnerable to the other, yet both are not completely
certain of their place in the conversation, thus appearing
overconfident.
The third offering, "Play How You Play," is probably the weakest
of the series. Set around an argument between a man and a woman
over a billiards match, the dialogue jumps around, making it seem
less convincing than the others. Michael Artura is well-cast as the
arrogant Rudy but only seems to hit his stride when playing off two
other characters, rather than when paired with Meredith Oritt’s
Sarah Mears – who appears in most of the scene.
The characters are underdeveloped in this bit, spouting amusing
lines without substantial background to support them. The argument
seems built around previous conflicts which are not explained
sufficiently to lend credence to the conflict between Rudy and
Sarah. The emotions displayed onstage are credible, but their
motivation is obscure.
In closing, Loverde delivers "Good Business Sense," a marriage
proposal brought into the statistical world. Exceedingly exact
businessman Bartholomew Braniff (Jonathan Arkin) attempts to woo
his girlfriend, Claudia Mears (Candace Duke), with a calculated
business presentation of why she should marry him.
Bringing a new depth to anal-retentiveness, the flawless
performance by Arkin is the highlight of the play, with his
exasperated confidence mixed with a sensitive undercurrent. This,
combined with timely advice from the recurring character of Spike
the bartender (Doug Mortenson), the only common link throughout all
four scenes, makes "Good Business Sense" the most enjoyable work of
the evening. Braniff seems to be the pinnacle of arrogance, with
his schematic objectification of romance bringing groans from the
audience, but once his motivations are explained, his character
takes on a whole new light.
"Mergers and Acquisitions" will likely never be remembered
alongside the classics, but it does deserve credit for amusing and
insightful character interaction.
Loverde shows keen insight into the subtleties of interpersonal
relationships, evidenced in the tight dialogue. There are no
journeys into the inner motivations of the human mind, but the play
does pick up on many of the oddities of romance and other matters
of the heart.
THEATER: "Mergers and Acquisitions" runs at the Hudson Backstage
Theater through Dec. 13. Tickets are $15. There is a "UCLA Night"
on Nov. 22, in which tickets are $5 for all UCLA students, faculty
and staff.
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