The Fall To Earth |
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REVIEW by Willard Manus THE FALL TO EARTH commences in a comic vein: daughter obliged to share not just a hotel room but a bed with her estranged, overbearing mother. Gradually though the comedy begins to give way to drama and then horror and ghastliness. Joel Drake
Johnson is a Chicago-based playwright whose work is now finding favor
in Los Angeles: Rogue Machine Co. recently mounted a previous work of
his, Four Places, which was directed by Robin Larsen and starred Roxanne
Hart, both of whom have teamed up again on the West Coast premiere of
THE FALL TO EARTH (with Hart serving as co-producer). |
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What ultimately becomes clear is that Fay, who has prided herself on being a good, doting mother, is really a terrifying, all-devouring monster. Kenny's act of self-slaughter was the only way he could get free of her. Johnson's tough, mordant play has been well-produced at the Odyssey Theatre. Designer Tom Buderwitz's generic motel-room is a splendid setting for the mayhem that occurs there; Larsen's direction is taut and incisive, and the three-person cast (with a ghostly cameo by Ian Littleworth) works together with precision and power. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. 310-477-2055 or odysseytheatre.com |