Jesus Hates Me
Somewhere in the barren desert of South-Central Texas, a beat-up
Wal-Mart mannequin gazes down from a wooden cross near the 17th-hole
of the "Blood of the Lamb" Miniature Golf Course. How's THAT for a
theatrical attention-grabber?
This outrageous image is a blasphemous spin on The Crucifixion,
of course; but it's only the beginning of what's on stage in The
Chance Theatre production of a dark comedy called "Jesus Hates Me."
According to Annie (the wacky, bi-polar mother in Wayne Lemon's
latest work), the Lord's presence is her salvation. Without
unconditional faith in what the stolen Wal-Mart mannequin represents,
Annie would be out of control all of the time--not just part of it.
But what about Ethan, her twenty-something-year-old son who is
tied to this God-forsaken place? What about his dreams? A college
grad and ex-football star, Ethan longs to move on and find a life for
himself. But if he leaves, what will become of his ding-bat mother?
He tried it once before and has had nightmares ever since.
And how about the other characters in this dead-end slice of
life? They too are trapped. When they were young and innocent they
each had dreams for the future; but slowly, over time, they've become
empty shadows of themselves. Day by day the years fly by with the
help of booze, drugs and sex.
Such is the setting of Lemon's dark irreverent comedy, and
director Oanh Nguyen has a firm grip on the dramatic pulse of it all.
Under his superb insight, the bawdy humor is so hysterical you'll
split your sides laughing; while you're cringing inside in recognition
of what's happening.
Kudos to Karen Webster for her convincing portrayal of Annie,
the over-zealous, emotionally unbalanced mother; and to Chance Dean,
for his heart-felt portrait of a good son who is slowly dying because
he can't desert his mother--no matter how kooky she behaves.
Also outstanding are Timothy Covington as Trane, the town's
pot-smoking, jovial black sheriff, who can keep his job as long as he
"keeps his place"; and Dimas Dias as Boone, an out-of-work, beer-
swilling, pain-in-the-butt loud-mouth who sponges off of everyone.
Of course there's gotta' be a girl in the plot, and Jennifer
Ruckman (last seen in The Chance's wonderful production of "Rabbit
Hole"), is totally convincing as Lizzy. Independent but lonely, she
runs the town's seedy bar and has a life-long crush on Ethan.
As for her younger brother Georgie (Ben Green), he can only speak
with the aid of an electrical device. Many years ago when he was
drunk, he tried to kill himself by putting a gun in his mouth. It
didn't blow his brains out, but it completely destroyed
his vocal cords.
For two hours these desperate characters try to find meaning in
their lives after a long series of disappointments caused them to
abandon their dreams. Lemon's human comedy is about their struggle,
and by extension it's the struggle of everyone in the audience.
This production of "Jesus Hates Me" is generously supported by
The Lear Family Foundation. It continues at The Chance Theatre, 5552
E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills, through March 1. Performances take
place Fri.-Sat., at 8:00; Sun., at 2:00 & 7:30.
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Theater: Chance Theater
Web Site: http://www.chancetheater.com
Tickets: (714) 777-3033
Dates: through March 1