“Orange Lemon Egg Canary” is the title of a new show at the East Theatre. Despite the fact that this unlikely juxtaposition of words is new and intriguing, the play’s characters and dialogue exists in any romantic comedy seen before on stage, screen or iPod. The cheap magic tricks included in the show also don’t help to raise it above the entertainment level of a child’s birthday party.
In this particular incarnation of the tired romantic comedy genre, the role of the brooding, emotionally evasive male is manifested as a magician ironically named Great (Brett Schneider). Great is pursued by Trilby (Elizabeth V. Newman), an eager, unrelenting female who aims to rein in Great’s reckless drinking and womanizing ways while seeking ownership of his magic and his heart.
The banality of the plot is further sullied by writer Rinne Groff’s failed stab at an inventive twist with the placement of lesbians at two vertices of a love triangle, with Great occupying the sole male corner. The bisexual affair seemed to be included only for its shock value, as the story line remained underdeveloped throughout the show.
Further smothering the turgid plot, Groff includes a putative narrator Henrietta (Ann Moller) in the form of an apparition and offers vapid philosophical musings. Henrietta’s every appearance was accompanied by tinkling background music that implied a certain sagacious quality, though she never uttered anything more profound than “Would you like to shoot a bullet at me?”
Ostensibly this was an attempt to showcase her powers of illusion, but instead it provided the audience with its only real occasion for serious contemplation during her numerous soliloquies: pondering the end of a character.
Bland acting stands as a fitting complement to the convoluted script. Schneider’s performance was more akin to a pouty puppet than an emotionally complex human male lead. Dialogue between romantic leads Great and Trilby seemed like programmed responses to mechanical stimuli, as if they competed to see who could display the least enthusiasm for their lines.
Martina Lotun, who plays the love triangle’s third vertex, is able to generate a modicum of animation through her role as Great’s former assistant and sometimes lover. Her brief chance to shine occurred when she escaped the stage to select a member of the audience to participate in an insipid magic trick.
The trick required only a roll of toilet paper, which served as a dubious metaphor for love. “If this is love, then this is a wad of love,” declares Great, referring to the crumpled bit of toilet tissue balled up in his hand. The remainder of the trick consisted solely of tossing said love wads over the volunteer’s unsuspecting head. By simply sitting motionless in a chair, the smiling volunteer was more believable than any of the main characters.
By the end of the play, it was apparent that “Orange Lemon Egg Canary” was less of an intriguing title and more of an incongruous collection of objects. The play is aptly represented by its name, as it became apparent that the harder the play tried to put ideas behind its words, the more it had no purpose. The play had a conclusion, but no logical progression led it there; it made as little sense as its title.
““ Lauren Evans
E-mail levans@media.ucla.edu.