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Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008
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Demonology fun, if infuriating |
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| Demonology fun, if infuriating | ||
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by Miryam Gordon -
SGN A&E Writer Demonology By Kelly Stuart Directed by Mark Jared Zufelt Starring Maggie Brothers, Alex Samuels, Ben Harris and Teri Lazzara Next Stage at Richard Hugo House Theater Through April 20 Next Stage is a new company which has snagged a solid cast of Seattle area regulars to act in its inaugural production. Demonology could be an interesting choice for kick off, but it's not the easiest sell. It is a fun - and infuriating - evening, though. A baby food company, previously involved in a scandal involving dead third world babies, is hiring. Gina (Maggie Brothers) arrives as a temp for Joe De Martini (Alex Samuels), a middle-level exec who immediately insults and chastises her. If this were the real world, she would have turned on her heels and left immediately, also. But Kelly Stuart makes her stay. Stuart also creates a complete, totally sexually perverse co-exec (Ben Harris) who would have been hauled away to jail if he said these same things in real life to a real co-worker today. Originally produced in 1996, it clearly focuses on the corporate workplace and the insidious boys' club atmosphere. So, you're asked to suspend your disbelief pretty thoroughly from the very beginning. If you do so, this sharp cast will have you laughing and aww-ing and oh-ing in reaction to the expected and unexpected turns in the script. Maggie Brothers plays a pretty mild-mannered Gina, who is breast-feeding a newborn and must pump her milk frequently during the day. She turns aside any reason to quit the job and also turns away any reason to fire her. It might have sharpened the show a little if she'd been able to portray a desperation for needing the job, since we later learn her husband is a complete slacker. Alex Samuels as Joe De Martini shows great versatility as he moves from pompous ass to immature, needy boss, having sexual fantasies involving Gina - as Xena - and breast milk. His loss of ability to function is enormously entertaining. The ingenious set by Michael Mowery is a wooden structure that appears to be glassed-in offices. It's mesmerizing to watch the elevator lights change and the door open and close. It's a flawless touch, along with light fixtures that are perfectly round with small knobs right in the middle, and horizontal on the wall, rather than perpendicular. It's quick, at 90 minutes, but you may think it gets too far from reality - after all, in the second act, Stuart introduces a "Demon Child" (played by Teri Lazarra) who appears and disappears in Martini's mind. It's up to you to make sense of it, ultimately. But give it a try. You'll have fun. For more information, go to www.nextstage.org or www.brownpapertickets.com. Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com |
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