Only in the world of “Tug of War” can pimps recite verse, seemingly chaste women express their sexual frustration, and marijuana function as currency.
“Tug of War” comes from an original translation by UCLA professor Amy Richlin of the classic play “Rudens” by Plautus, and it juxtaposes the motifs of classical theater with contemporary themes and language. The structure of the performance may be unconventional, yet the play succeeds by featuring the most entertaining aspects of classical theater.
For example, because men played all the roles in classical times, “Tug of War” features two cross-dressed characters and instead of having an all-male cast, both genders partake in the drag action.
Cross-dressing is also used very intentionally in the play for comedic purposes. The male actor in drag purposefully does not hide his real gender, which leads to scripted and amusing on-stage adjustments while he is wearing a dress.
Keeping in line with another theme of classic theater, the character names in “Tug of War” reflect their position in life. For example, the Greek name “Plesidippus” means “has a lot of horses,” and in this modern update, the character is fitly renamed “Bigbuxo.”
One of the most beautiful ways the production merges the old and the new is by way of its setting, in the Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa in Malibu. The theater is an outdoor venue built to imitate the classic theaters in ancient times, modified only slightly for the modern creation of a fire code.
And not only is “Tug of War” a modern retelling of a classic play, but it’s a modern retelling of a classic play with musical numbers. As if the play was not campy enough, it contains songs from an array of genres, including a Jamaican rendition of “Follow the Raggedy Rocks” (or yellow brick road for the old-fashioned) and “If I were a Rich Man,” big pimpin’ style.
The show may sound flamboyant, overdone and lacking any form of coherency. But what makes it work is that the characters realize exactly what’s going on in their flashy world, and while acting out their extravagance, they simultaneously mock it.
The show opens with the characters justifying their lack of a curtain by asking the audience to cover their eyes and saying “no peeking,” a command used throughout the play. The heroine, Liploca, blatantly states, “I’m going to sing a song” just before her musical number, poking fun at the spontaneous nature of musical theater, and at one point, the villain, or “the pimp,” sits in the audience and casually waits for his entrance while reading the newspaper.
“Tug of War” provides a theatrical environment where the very nature of theater is compromised and celebrated at the same time, all while having a great time.
““ Suzy Evans
E-mail Evans at sevans@media.ucla.edu.