by Joel Elkins

In the old Soviet Union, bureaucracies were oversized and so were the theater companies. In fact, it was not unusual for companies to employ over a hundred full-time players. Naturally, this led Soviet playwrights to write epic productions in order to use them to their fullest potential. So when local director Aramazd Stepanian decided to adapt If Your Eyes Are Clear for the small stage, he had a lot of paring down to do. Originally written by Armenian playwright Saghatel Haroutyunyan during Brezhnev’s reign, the play originally had dozens of characters making countless entrances and exits. Stepanian’s version is much simpler, employing just nine actors, and, what’s more, it’s in English. It is currently making its world premiere at the Luna Playhouse in, not coincidentally, the world’s largest Armenian community outside Armenia.

The play opens on a birthday party for Henrik Mirbegian, a superior court judge in Soviet Armenia. Henrik’s father-in-law entertains the guests with his latest children’s story. In the story, a girl mistakenly walks into the lair of a maneater. Despite the maneater’s attempts to scare her, she naively refuses to be frightened, frustrating the maneater to no end. Afterwards, some of the guests, unaware that they themselves are living in the metaphorical lair and have long ago been devoured by the metaphorical monster, criticize the story as being unrealistic.

The conversation later drifts to a minor burglary case currently pending before Henrik’s court. Upon hearing that the defendant has already confessed, the guests question why he doesn’t simply convict and put the case to rest. Henrik explains that, under modern Soviet law, courts require more than a confession in order to convict. He appears confrontational and paranoid. In the next few days, as the pressure to convict continues to mount, it starts to appear that maybe his paranoia is well-founded. The more he digs, the more he discovers how widespread the corruption in the Soviet Union runs, stretching out to all levels of society. And apparently he, as part of the system, is supposed to look the other way and let the system take care of itself. If he refuses, out of either gumption or naivete, he is supposed to show fear and allow the “maneater” to devour him. It is a simple morality tale beautifully told. What makes it more amazing is that it was written during the height of Soviet totalitarianism.

The acting will not win any awards, but it is good enough (with a few minor exceptions) to be believable and not get in the way of the story. Edgar Allan Poe IV (yes, he is related) plays the protagonist Henrik, Emma Lynch plays Nazeni, his beautiful wife, torn between her opposing womanly needs of being proud of her husband and of having nice things to wear, Carl Coughlan plays Tigran, his wise but ailing father-in-law, and Tom Collit plays his longtime friend. These four do serviceable work in the primary roles. The rest of the cast is a bit weaker but only have minor roles.

However, this is not a performance-driven play. The story is compelling and Stepanian’s adaptation and direction is clearly from the heart. Chris Edinjiklian is the art director and Azad Abed-Stephen and James Germann designed the lights. (According to the program, their job was made all the more difficult by the facility’s limited power supply.) Erik Finck’s paper silhouettes bring Tigran’s story to life.

As for the facility itself, I had never been to the Luna Playhouse before. It is located in a tiny store front in Glendale. Upon entering, one feels like one is walking into someone’s home. The foyer looks like someone’s study, with a large desk in the center, surrounded by a couch and bookcases lining the walls. It is separated from the stage by a simple black drape (which, unfortunately, is far from soundproof). Patrons are offered coffee, tea and water free of charge, and at intermission, they can also partake in slices of the cake from the party in Act One.

A sign in the rest room of the theater politely warns male patrons to “please take one step back before flushing the urinal.” A similar admonition can be given the audience at large: “Please take one step back before watching this play, or you may get splashed with morality.” And we all know how hard that is to get off!

If Your Eyes Are Clear is performed Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm through December 12, 2009.

Luna Playhouse is located at 3706 San Fernando Road in Glendale, just north of Brand. (Across the street from Harley Davidson and Rally’s which provides free parking for theater.)

Ticket prices: $25.00 (Seniors, Students: $15.00, Low Income: “Pay-what-you-can”)

Reservations online at www.itsmyseat.com or by phone at (818) 500-7200.