By Dana Messore
Daily Bruin Contributor
dmessore@media.ucla.edu
Poetry, art and Easy Rider magazine are the predominant themes
in this one man show written and performed by Stacy Mathewson.
Son of a Biker is a coming of age story that focuses on the life
of the character Stacy Mathewson (played by Stacy Mathewson), a
young man whose main influences in life come from an avant-garde
mother and a heavy-carousing Harley-riding father who draws wise
bits of fatherly advice from biker babe magazines he readily keeps
in the bathroom.
One knows not whether to laugh or cry at the twisted mind of
Mathewson who attempts to establish strong foundations of his own
adult life by drawing upon the unsound advice he received from the
conflicting views of his parents, clueless friends, and other
influential figures he has crossed on the rocky road to
adulthood.
Mathewson does a finely delivers a wide array of characters
single-handedly, each one complete with his own past, motivations,
distinct personality, and flaws.
Viewers glimpse not only Stacy’s mother and father through
his own personal reflections, but also additional colorful figures
like overtly hormonal pals, a college professor, and even Mickey
Rourke. In turn, each of these characters offers advice about
girls, life and everything in-between.
But somehow, none of their “wise” advice seems to
obliterate the prevailing influence of his father, a man who Stacy
says “has been on more spring breaks then I
have.” The narrative accounts of Stacy’s father
Dan are so prevalent in the mind of the young man that it is at
times hard to tell where one character begins and the other
ends.
Stacy’s disfunction is something that all who have
families can relate to in some degree, thus casting an overall
lighthearted tone to the performance and uniting the audience
through laughter. Â Mathewson’s comically-witty
performance refuses to allow the audience to shrink into somber
moments of reflection on the solemn subject matter of the lasting
effects of parental discord on the mind of a child.
Oddly enough, there seems to be nothing but fun in the
script. At the same time however, the subtle undertones that
point to the results of irresponsible parental upbringing make any
audience member regretfully mourn the lack of young Stacy’s
exposure to real love and parental nourishment.
The quaint atmosphere of the Theatre of Note is the perfect
setting for an inside glance at the mind of such a distraught
individual, placing the audience in the unique role of a
compassionate friend or costly psychiatrist, listening to Mathewson
rattle off tales of his father and the story of the eventual fate
of his mother.
Viewers also come to know the characters personally and
empathetically understand his fears, what drives him, and what
makes him the emotional basketcase the hour-long performance is
fueled by. Such audience-character interaction would be lost in a
larger theater.
Mathewson’s performance is thoroughly enjoyable and funny,
while delicately casting a judgmental tone on parents everywhere.
 The mentally-riddled character he portrays acts almost as a
warning to all those longing for parenthood, urging all who delve
into that great unknown to fully understand that a child’s
mind is like a vacuum, and all that is sucked up will eventually
come out in the end.
THEATER: “Son of a Biker” is
playing at the Theatre of Note tonight and tomorow night at 8 p.m.
For more information, call (323) 856-8611.