The "Pays" The Thing
Last Friday, I attended the opening of my roommate's play, "We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!" at the Pan Andreas Theatre in Hollywood (that's him to the left - Michael Cornacchia. Apparently, they're using his mug to promote the play.) I felt right in the spirit of things since my ticket was comped and I didn't have to pay to get in, but felt a bit guilty so kept my mouth shut when the audience was made to chant "we won't pay! we won't pay!" as a crowd-warming exercise before the start of the play.WWP! WWP! is a comedy by Dario Fo, and this production plays like old sitcoms along the lines of "I Love Lucy" or "The Honeymooners," especially in the interactions between Michael's character, Giovanni, and his wife Antonia, hilariously played by Annie Terry. Also mix in Giovanni's high jinks with his neighbor and friend, Luigi, played by Zoran Radanovich, and you get some madcap scenarios Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel would have found themselves comfortable in. The whole cast is great, but I have to say Michael is the stand-out, his performance filling the room with much bluster and pent-up rage (much like his picture above, actually) but never falling into caricature so much so that we don't feel sympathetic to Giovanni's plight. Good stuff and compares well to his breakthrough performance as Jabba the Hut in "Star Wars in 30 Minutes". Heh.
Amidst all the slapstick and volume, however, there is a message, and it's about desperation and hunger, both literally and otherwise. Each of the characters find their breaking point between the values society has placed on them and what they feel is right. Where the characters draw that line is where the comedy lies, and the director, Scott Rognlien, seems to know just how broadly to draw it.
Go see it. It's fast-paced, well-cast, well-performed and a fun night at the theater.
Nov. 4 - Nov. 20, 2005
Pan Andreas Theatre
5125 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
http://www.wwpwwp.com
1 Comments:
WOO HOO! Thanks, Jeff!
Love! Maia
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