Wonder of the World
Some people get a big kick out of screwball, off-the-wall
comedy, while others can't seem to get with it. Personal taste
covers a wide range of territory, of course, and sensibilities
differ vastly from one person to another.
But when all is said and done, a good comedy is always serious
business--even if it's disguised as a wacko, goof-ball play filled
with ditzy, over-the-top characters who behave like Punch and Judy.
Such a work is "Wonder of the World," currently on stage each
weekend through September 20 at the intimate Little Fish Theatre in
downtown San Pedro.
Written in 2000 by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, David
Lindsay-Abaire, "Wonder of the World" conveys a buried universal
message and delivers a one-two-punch ending that is meant to
kick-start your engine..
According to the young Lindsay-Abaire, the subtext of all his
work is about people trying to find themselves--the courage to form
new relationships, the struggle to move forward, the need to go on
when their lives are turned upside down.
Good screw-ball comedy calls for special direction, however,
and the actors must have a knack for delivering bold-face, drop-
dead lines that make your jaws fall open in disbelief. Director
Holly Baker-Kreiswirth understands the importance of fast-paced
comedic timing. Though the action could have been a bit more
frenetic on opening-night, she kept her six-member cast on its toes
as each one jumped through hoops to deliver the goods.
It's a simple story, really, reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe and
"The Seven Year Itch." One morning, Cass (the delightful wide-eyed
Britney Kalmbach) decides enough is enough; so she packs her bags
and plans a get-away from her boring, suffocating marriage.
Her husband Kip (the whining, annoying Stephen Peirick)
revealed a shocking secret the night before (yuch!), which gave
her the courage to leave the dumb lout. The past seven years have
been an empty blur. She needs to find herself and fulfill a
non-stop list of things she longs to do before the grim reaper
calls her name.
Sitting on the bus stop, waiting to go where ever the next bus
takes her, Cass meets a lush named Lois who becomes her loyal,
outrageous, dumb-like-a-fox sidekick. Geraldine Fuentes is a laugh
riot as this alcoholic, middle-aged divorcee who is so depressed
she's going to Niagra Falls with her very own barrel.
And so the unfettered journey begins. Conversely, Cass is so
happy to be free, she bubbles over like Alka-Seltzer. The rest of the
play concerns the cockamamie things that occur--and the off-beat
characters the two run-aways meet--on their way to Niagra Falls and
during their stay there..
Daryl Hogue and Frank Farmer are hysterical as Karla and
Glen--the loopy, unlicensed husband-and-wife team that Kip hires to
track down his wife. Margaret Schugt and Anna Youngblood portray a
string of super weird characters that include a lost woman named Janie,
a neurotic helicopter pilot, and mad-cap waitresses at several theme
restaurants.
The only sane character on stage is Captain Mike, the
anti-hero in Cass' life; yet even Mike has some unusual fetishes.
Bill Wolski is quite touching as this sweet, gentle captain of "The
Maid of the Mist" (the Falls' popular sightseeing ship) whom Cass
has an affair with in her effort to find herself.
Wolski also designed the functional set, which announces each
scene change with the display of a different directional sign.
Throw in a therapy session game/show where the therapist
(Schugt) is dressed as an enraged, red-nosed circus clown. Then
watch, as each character's problems are identified through a series
of trivial, stereotypical, pop-culture questions.
Through this blatant vaudeville shtick, the audience gets a
peak at the dark under-belly of "Wonder of the World" which starts
to surface as the play comes to a close. Then get ready for the
surprise ending.
It may seem a bit awkward and abrupt, but Lindsay-Adaire wants
the audience to go home with a positive image: No matter how bleak
life becomes, there should always be hope for new beginnings.
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Little Fish Theatre is located at 777 Centre Street in San
Pedro. For ticket information regarding weekend performances on
Fri-Sun through Sept. 20, call (310) 512-6030; or go online at
www.littlefishtheatre.org