by Joel Elkins

Unlike most theatre-going folks, apparently, I have never had formal aviation training. So I had to do a little research just to understand the title of this play. I discovered that an airplane wing cutting through the air creates an updraft known as “lift” as well as air resistance known as “drag.” Being an inescapable byproduct – a necessary evil, if you will – of the wing’s shape, this is therefore known as “induced drag.” Whereas drag from other parts of the plane – the fuselage, the undercarriage, etc. – which do nothing to help create lift, is known as “parasite drag.”

In the play Parasite Drag, the “title character” appears to be Gene (played by Robert Foster), a fervently, almost suffocatingly, religious man who, despite his best intentions, manages to pull down all around him. This includes his wife, Joellen (Mim Drew), with whom he shares a certainly sexless and probably loveless marriage. It also includes his estranged brother Ronnie (Boyd Kestner), who shows up out of the blue with his new wife, Susie (Agatha Nowicki), because their crack-addicted sister is in the hospital dying of AIDS. The source of the brothers’ rocky relationship and Ronnie’s specific reasons for resenting Gene’s attitude are explained as the play progresses (and which, in deference to the reader, I will not reveal here).

Throughout the play, the impending threat of a tornado lurks in the background, at first, merely a “watch,” but later, elevating to a full-blown “warning.” Gene explains to Joellen and the audience that a “watch” means that conditions are right, whereas a “warning” means that one has actually been spotted. This meteorological threat, however, is nothing compared to the unstable conditions brewing within the family. Even before the unexpected guests have shown up, it is apparent that the “happy” couple is (in the words of Bonnie Tyler) “living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.” Ronnie’s appearance only serves to increase the kindling. By Act Two, the watch turns to a warning as thinly repressed issues come to the surface. The intensity of emotion in the house cleverly mirrors the storm’s building intensity outside.

Rarely have I ever seen such incredibly realistic dialogue and interpersonal character exchange. Mark Roberts’ fine script, Director David Fofi’s meticulous direction and a uniformly superb cast create the “perfect storm” for near-flawless dialogue, the nucleus of most any production. It truly makes for a wonderful theatre-going experience when such subtly brilliant material can be delivered so subtly and brilliantly. The audience sat transfixed by not only the words spoken, but the words not spoken, by each understated gesture and intonation. Truly dialogue at its finest. And, what’s more, it all looked so effortless that I wondered why all plays can’t rise to such levels.

In fact, the entire production was first-rate and thoroughly professional, from Joel Daavid’s lighting to Danny Cistone’s beautifully constructed set. If I had any complaint at all, it was the play’s frenetic pace towards the end that seemed a little forced, trying a bit too hard to mimic the building climax of a tornado. But like adrenalin junkies chasing storms for the thrill, when we search out the majestic beauty that is the perfect storm, the results aren’t always predictable, or pretty.

Parasite Drag plays Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through September 18, 2010.

The Elephant Theatre is located at 6322 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood (one block west of Vine).

Ticket prices: $20.00

Reservations online at www.elephanttheatrecompany.com or by phone at (323) 960-4410