By D. A. Blackburn
When the opportunity to review Who Wants Cake?'s production of "Hurlyburly" arose, I enthusiastically jumped at the chance. After all, the theater community had been abuzz about the show for some time, and the production features one of the most exciting ensemble casts assembled in recent memory. And, to my taste, WWC? is quite simply one of the most innovative, engaging and brave companies producing theater in the Detroit area. It looked to be one of the most significant offerings of the season. What was not to love?
But, as is often the case, with the greatest of expectations comes the potential for the biggest of disappointments. After seeing the show Saturday, initially, all I could say was "wow" — a terrifying sensation for one who earns a living with words. However — and I want to be precisely clear about this — my speechlessness was not merely a product of disappointment. Quite conversely, there is much to love about "Hurlyburly." But there are also significant flaws that even the best of performers, directors and companies cannot overcome.
So with this in mind, let's rip off the proverbial Band-Aid, and tackle the pain so we can get on to the euphoria.
David Rabe's "Hurlyburly" is an exceptionally complicated work. It's the story of seven friends navigating choppy waters in search of understanding and identity in 1980s Hollywood. Through a fog of drug and alcohol abuse, violence and casual sex, they struggle to find their ways, build careers and make peace with the shattered lives they've left behind. Sadly, this story is so muddled that it will leave patrons searching for understanding, too.
The production is structured as three acts over three hours — three extremely intense hours, at that — and to be frank, an evening of "Hurlyburly" is a daunting experience. The work plays out like a near-constant shouting match, with the emotion and intensity never waning. It's an awkward sensation — all the passionate highs without a moment of downtime to balance things out — but not unlike the cocaine-fueled roller coaster of Rabe's characters' lives.
Initially, I suspected that this rapid, brutal pacing was the product of Joe Bailey and Matthew Turner Shelton's stage direction, but as the work progresses, it becomes readily apparent that this is not the case. It is simply the nature of Rabe's writing. But even this realization cannot quell the disconcerting feeling that something is terribly amiss.
Moreover, Rabe's dialogue leaves much to be desired. The balance of his characters speak with an eloquence unfitting their stations in life, which adds to the confusion. For much of the three-hour verbal brawl that is "Hurlyburly," it's unclear what the fight is about. Simply, he hides the issues behind a vernacular that left this wordsmith vexed for much of the show. At this pace, even a lexicographer couldn't keep up with the debate.
The script's lone exception is the character of Donna, a young hitchhiker/runaway turned compliant sex slave who speaks so plainly that she seems wholly contrived when juxtaposed against Rabe's crew of wordy rogues. At the end of the play, Donna comments that "It's great when people know what each other are talking about." And this may well be the point of Rabe's script, but if so, I, for one, feel cheated for having endured three daunting hours to discover something I've known since speaking my first words.
And that brings us to the greatest flaw in Rabe's play. There is much action, to be sure — rampant drug use and drinking, fights (both physical and verbal), romance (or at least sexual relationships), break ups, tales of abuse, unjustifiable violence (one character thrown from a moving car by another), a kidnapping, a suicide, etc. — but none of it really seems to lead anywhere. Both the plot and the characters seem to lack a discernible dramatic arch. And Rabe leaves so many loose ends when the house lights come up that the play has almost no closure.
And as for the understanding that the characters seem so desperate to find? Donna's aforementioned statement is about as close as any of them come.
But I promised that there are redeeming — in fact, better than merely redeeming — qualities to "Hurlyburly," and I'll disappoint you no longer. Who Wants Cake? has done some things incredibly right, starting with an exceptional cast.
"Hurlyburly" is a very masculine (to the point of being criticized as misogynistic) show, and in the four male roles, the company could do no better. Stephen Blackwell, Joel Mitchell, Jon Ager and Charles Reynolds all make my short list of the best male actors working in Detroit today. Seeing them in a single production, together — their chemistry and their individual talents — is an undeniably satisfying experience.
As Eddie, the show's true lead, Blackwell gives what might be the strongest performance of his career thus far. His downward spiral, both physically and mentally, is conveyed with a purity of acting that is breathtaking to behold.
Mitchell's Phil, a former gangster suffering through a flat-lined acting career, a troubled marriage and a terrifying violent streak, is no less convincing. Phil is the easiest of Rabe's characters for audience members to despise, but Mitchell's performance drew me in.
In Mickey, Eddie's roommate and resident voice of reason, Ager shows his fine dramatic chops. As a performer, I often associate him more with comedic works than with this type of weighty, dark material, but Ager's performance in "Hurlyburly" has forced me to change this perception.
As Artie, Reynolds brings a very convincing subtlety to his portrayal — intense, but wholly natural. He gives the most understated performance of the bunch, but it is nevertheless superb.
Among the show's three ladies, WWC?'s own Jamie Warrow is the true standout, tackling the toughest of the three roles with her usual grace and understanding. In her most significant scene as Bonnie, as she confronts Phil after he's thrown her from her own car, Warrow conveys an inner terror and a persevering spirit with true clarity.
The show's two other female players, Ashley Shamoon (Donna) and Cassandra McCarthy (Darlene, Eddie's ill-fated love interest), hold their own extremely well in this very experienced cast.
Across the board Rabe's characters are a gritty, ugly lot of anti-heroes, and each in WWC?'s cast makes them believable, and even likable.
Of course, much of this is a credit to Bailey and Shelton's direction, which, despite the necessarily brisk pacing, shows true finesse. Their use of the stage is excellent. And they've managed to draw out the nuance — specifically as it relates to drug use and intoxication — necessary to make these somewhat unbelievable characters feel very genuine.
The production also boasts fine technical and design support. Standouts are Anthony Karpinski's excellent set, which is populated by the perfect properties to place the production firmly in the 1980s, and Vince Kelly's costuming, which works to much the same effect.
My ultimate verdict: hated the script, but LOVED the production. It's not a "must see" for the theater-going public at large, but for those who appreciate that a production can be much more than the sum of its parts, this "Hurlyburly" is a treasure.
REVIEW:
'Hurlyburly'
Who Wants Cake at The Ringwald, 22742 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Friday-Monday through April 26. $10-$20. 248-545-5545. http://www.whowantscaketheatre.com
