by Ashley Steed~

The Issacs’ upstate New York aging home, just 45 minutes from Broadway, is decorated with memorabilia of shows and performances of yester-year. It’s thespian inhabitants, although going through tough times, still embody the show biz saying “the show must go on.”

In this somewhat charming play by playwright and filmmaker Henry Jaglom, the eccentricities of theatre folk are put center stage. After all, actors are open with their emotions, they have trained their bodies to feel everything deeply — and they even get inspired and intrigued by others’ emotional drama. Everything must be open and flow freely. However, this can be quite a convoluted way to grow up. For the daughters of stage actors George and Vivian Issacs, we discover how growing up without defined boundaries is both a blessing and a curse.

The eldest daughter, Betsy (Julie Davis), is the black sheep of the family. Never bitten by the acting bug, she vehemently rejects her upbringing and leaves for a life of “normalcy.” Her sister Pandora (Tanna Frederick), on the other hand, is the epitome of the starlet since birth. Her emotions are so free flowing that one minute she’s up, and the next, she’s down.

The play begins in a typical expositional fashion as we are introduced to each of the members of the household and why they are there and what their quirk is.

There’s the part Chickasaw Indian (and “That’s why I can read fortunes”) former stage actress wife and mother Vivian, played immaculately by Diane Salinger. Salinger exudes a delicate sensuality mixed with humor and grace.

Jack Heller plays her husband George, a third-generation Yiddish theatre star, who crossed over to mainstream theatre. The gruff but loveable George, or Grisha as Vivian calls him, has trouble sleeping and rages through the house in search of his almond cookies so he can take his Ambien and fall asleep. He’s in desperate need for rest as he has a Skype interview in a couple of hours and must look his best. Heller is truly a force; any time he’s on stage, it’s hard not watch him.

Also in the house is Vivian’s brother Larry (David Proval) who’s in a production of Guys and Dolls at the local dinner theatre. An actor who never quite made it, he manages to stay upbeat about his profession – or he’s just in denial. Proval’s dopey antics are a bit much, making Larry trivial more often than not. However, there is one touching moment when he opens up about his career.

The Issacs also have a boarder to help relieve some of the financial burden – aging character actress, Sally Brooks. Although Harriet Shock does a fine job with the character, Sally could have been cut out of the play and no one would have noticed. It’s not until a secret reveled towards the end, do we find out why her presence is necessary.

Then there’s Pandora (aka Panda) played by Jaglom’s current muse Tanna Frederick. Having recently been dumped by her civilian (as in, not in show business) boyfriend, Panda has moved back home. Needless to say, she is a hot hot mess. There are some actors that never can separate drama from life – and she is one of them. Frederick paints her in a manic, albeit sympathetic light – although it’s hard to imagine Panda anything other than an emotional wreck.

Her emotional instability is pushed further of balance when Betsy, who is a successful businesswoman, brings home her fiancé Jimmy (well-played by David Garver), a real estate agent and financial advisor. Clearly embarrassed by her family, Betsy’s told him a few untruths about her family. Now that Jimmy, or James as Betsy prefers to call him, has met her weird family – he is absolutely enchanted by their quirks and charms. Betsy’s need to detach herself from her family transforms her back into an over-sensitive and misunderstood teenager mindset. Davis manages with what she’s been given but the character herself falls flat. It’s no wonder that Jimmy becomes enamored with the emotional roller coaster that is Panda.

The plot is one that’s been told before. It’s merely a modern day adaptation of the 1937 Pulitzer Prize winning play You Can’t Take it with You by Kaufman and Hart. If it hadn’t been for the laptop and references to Skype, I would have forgotten it was modern day altogether.

Director Gary Imhoff has brought all the elements together for a well-done production. The elaborate “slice of life” set and effective lighting by Joel Daavid outshines the text. Mike Shear’s music of old Broadway adds to the nostalgia. But the most prominent aspect in the staging is the relationships established between these characters. Imhoff has taken a relatively bland story and has strewn in layers of detail. Each character’s relationship to one another and to this place is crisp and clear. Some of the most interesting parts are not included in the dialogue. For example, the scene where Panda and Jimmy watch an old high school performance of hers is visually and contextually interesting. Although the projection has hierarchy over the scene, I couldn’t help but stare at the two dimly lit actors, trying to figure out what they were saying as they continued to pour more wine.

For me, Heller and Salinger as George and Vivian steal the show. The bedroom scene where George reveals his fears of being forgotten and how “everything becomes the past too fast” is incredibly touching. And their chemistry is lovely.

In a world where life imitates art and vice versa I can’t help but comment on a line in the play:  When Betsy is told that nobody is normal, she exclaims, “The audience is!” I guess she considers sitting in the dark with a bunch of strangers staring up at people acting as if you weren’t there… normal.

Just 45 Minutes from Broadway is performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 5 pm extended through July 31, 2010.  (Karen Black will join the cast on May 21)

Ticket Prices: $25

The Edgemar Center for the Arts is located at 2437 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405, just north of Ocean Park Blvd.

Reservations online at http://www.edgemarcenter.org/ or by phone at (310) 392-7327