by K. Primeau~

Edward Allan Baker’s “sibling plays,” Dolores and North of Providence, now playing at Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, may need to pull back for being a bit too fraternal. From production design to directing, writing to performance, twin themes and dramatic flaws unfolded like zygotes, multiplying and dividing to create a discomfiting headache of an evening. Unlike charming twins, full of the cultivated wit from years of familiarity and shared storytelling, the two pieces felt disjointed, flat, and alienating. From glass shattering to finger pointing, the plays exhausted their grotesque qualities, leaving little joy to redeem them.

The problem, it seems, lies in the production’s inability to define just what story they mean to be telling in the first place. In Dolores, two sisters from an abusive upbringing exhibit the ways they now physically and mentally abuse, and are abused. Dolores (Katie Kocis) yearns to escape her violent third husband, while Sandra (Christine Ostrander) realizes her simple home life is less than ideal. In a dramatic twist involving a gun and Ronald Reagan, the two are reconciled in their disgust and courage, striking a dramatic tableau as the lights fade. In North of Providence, Bobbie and Carol (Michael Maize and Jodi Rosenthal), united by their father’s impending death by cirrhosis, finally divulge what led to the mental and material breakdown of their family years ago. One gun, plenty of street names, and a whole lot of folded laundry later, they reconcile for a spot-lit hug, and the lights fade.

I don’t necessarily hate tableaus, but the problem with such a bold choice is that the proceeding action must be so compelling, so full, that only such staging could do justice to that moment. In this instance, I still hadn’t figured out why the playwright or director- or company, for that matter, chose to divulge  stories of abuse and self-neglect without contextualizing them first. The actors were interesting and played their parts with intensity, but between the constant direction to pace the room, arranging articles of mess, hinting at real behavior, and the all-too-brief moments of playfulness and sanity, I was lost. The audience needed to come up for air, feel sympathy, relate to the characters – anything! But then the show ended, and a final, inconclusive, now four-person tableau flashed again. I hoped a residual rush of insight would come, but days later I still can’t find it.

Baker’s portrait of mid 80’s Rhode Island is a meager, disillusioned one. One could relate the hopelessness and inability to obtain accountability to the current fiscal and political atmosphere.  The stories of abuse could engage the audience in a revelation on past personal transgressions. The playful sibling outbreaks could remind us of the strength and joy in a fully realized familial bond. Instead, in SFS’s production the allusions and action remain mere plot points, deepening the dynamic of individual character motivations but ultimately feeling overwhelmingly irrelevant.

I don’t mean to say theatre must appeal to one sensation or another. Theatre can and should astound the audience. But when shock value is more distancing than resonant, the audience is left behind, curious as to why they were invited along for the story in the first place.

Dolores and North of Providence are accented by Nora Wilde’s bold, humorously detailed costuming and an enjoyable music and sound design.

Dolores and North of Providence are performed Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm. through March 27, 2010.  There will be no performance on Saturday, March 20th.

SFS Theatre  is located at 5636 Melrose Ave.,  Los Angeles, CA  90004, between Gower and Larchmont.

Ticket prices: $15.00.

Reservations online at www.sfstheatre.com or by phone at 323 463-7378.