Kvetch is so mean, it's funny

Kvetch is so mean, it's funny

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer Kvetch By Steven Berkoff Directed by David Gassner Theater Schmeater Through February 16 We probably wouldn't have theater if we didn't have characters that complain. If everything is peachy, then why write about it? So, it's not surprising that Kvetch is about complainers. The word "kvetch," in Yiddish, means to complain. It's not that Jews are the only ones who kvetch, but Jews are really excellent at it (note: It's one of "those" comments. I can say that because I'm Jewish). At least, the Jewish characters in this family are excellent complainers. It's a kind of vicious and embarrassing complaining, where your real internal dialogue is said out loud to the audience, and what you really think but don't say can be incredible vicious, both to yourself and others. So, a lot of the humor in the play - and it can be pretty hilarious - is a sort of "I can't believe they're saying that" kind of funny. There's Frank (Cristopher Berns), who hates his work, his wife, his life, his mother-in-law, and Donna (Amelia Meckler), who hates her life, how her husband treats her, what she does with her time, and Mother-in-Law (Patsy Benson) who hates her son-in-law, and probably hates her life, and the newly divorced co-worker of Frank, Hal (Andy Clawson), who hates being single and hates talking about himself and hates being invited over to dinner. They'll all tell you exactly how much they hate all that. The device of talking to the audience and revealing real inner thoughts used to be new and innovative, but it's pretty usual these days. So, we have nice lighting by Sean Begley, who helpfully spotlights the inner speaker for us and delineates inner conversation from regular conversation. The actors freeze-frame so the inner speaker can move in and out of the regular conversation to tell you what he or she is really thinking. What makes the inner speech so funny is how vicious it is. It's almost shocking what they really think. That's part of the fun of the play. And they do manage to shock. What they think about during sex, for instance, is shockingly real and embarrassing and vicious. We get a freeze-framed inner dialogue from both Donna and Frank during their boring attempt to satisfy each other. The first act can seem bogged down in too much complaining, as the story is set, but the action picks up in a hurry for the second act, where we meet George (John Kobasic), a clothing customer of Frank's, who has bought material from Frank for years and needs catering to. Of course, Frank hates catering to him. George hates his work and diverts himself by screwing salesmen's wives, or making the wives think he wants to screw them, while being relieved that he doesn't really have to. There are a number of surprises in the play that don't need revealing. It's best to get the biggest bang from your own attendance. Many times, we find surprises funny, so you'll probably laugh a lot at them. These are distasteful people to spend the evening with, so it's hard to separate the production from the characters. But the actors do a good job of being distasteful, and Amelia Meckler as Donna surmounts her character to almost redeem her. While Frank has the most lines, Meckler takes over the stage and gives a riveting performance. Her eyes are especially important, conveying her various emotions. It's such a small theater that you can see her eyes very clearly. What her character does at the end makes her not want to kvetch anymore. So, empowerment seems to overcome kvetching. At least, that seems to be the message of Steven Berkoff. For more information, go to www.schmeater.org or call 206-324-5801. Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com.