By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO–The year 2012 seems to be the year of premieres. Recently The Old Globe mounted world premieres of Nobody Loves You by Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter (it plays through June 17th) and Jonathan Caren’s The Recommendation. The La Jolla Playhouse is still on target with its latest hopeful transfer to Broadway with the production of S.R. Binder’s Hands On a Hardbody by Doug Wright, Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio in another world premiere. The San Diego Repertory Theatre mounted the world premiere of T.C. Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain, and a west coast premiere of Lisa Kron’s In The Wake and Ion Theatre gave us robots in the form of Heddatron in yet another a west coast premiere.
Hot off the press in another world premier, Moxie Theatre in the East County, is now presenting Zsa Zsa Gershick’s Coming Attractions, a comedy about Hollywood’s golden era of the ‘50’s when ‘stars’ were bigger than life and anything went as long as the press didn’t get wind what went on behind the fenced in and secluded Desert Knight Hotel (Angela Ynfanti) in Palm Springs. Of course any similarities to any characters living or dead is purely coincidental (my words not the playwright’s).
Gershick is no stranger to San Diego audiences. In 2008 Moxie Theatre along with Diversionary Theatre produced her Bluebonnet Court to upbeat reviews. It too took place in a seedy motel setting (this time in Austin, Texas) where one of the characters, on her way to Hollywood to hook up with her Hollywood movie star lover had to stop to have her car repaired.
In Coming Attractions the Desert Knight Motel was a destination (not an accidental stopover) for the rich and famous closeted lesbians of the 40’s and 50’s. The particular group we meet up with are all gathered to pay their respects to their friend Dee Dee Windom (Jill Drexler) whose sudden death from a stroke sends most of them into a tailspin.
It seems that ex manager to the stars turned real estate mogul, Dee Dee, was a positive force who looked after her friends by encouraging them to invest their money wisely, as in land and business ventures, so they would have it for a rainy day (read when their stars started to fall off the horizon.) That doesn’t stop them, however from dissing her or talking smack about her.
Coming Attractions takes place in the late 70’s when a look back down memory lane of the 50’s seems eons ago for this new generation of Hollywood worshipers especially for 20-something Rebecca Metz (Amanda Morrow) whose stopover at the Desert Knight is a well-planned event. As a future wannabe ‘movie maker’ the Dessert Knight Motel has all the accountrements she needs to visualize her newest endeavor.
Set against the pink and green décor, with white and slightly rusted wrought iron outdoor furniture so popular of that era, the characters, returning from the memorial, assemble one by one in various states of bereavement. At the center is Veronica Scott (Robin Christ) an over-the-hill Noir femme fatal whose career was upended in a nasty scandal where she was out-ed. Now, bitter, but by no means out of the picture her part
reads like a Luella Parson’s bitch session only nastier and more cutting. She will have a little tryst (just for fun) with “Beck”.
Floating in and out are Dani Decker (M’Lafi Thompson) who knows all the in’s and out’s of the stars, supermarket maven Morris Gordon (Mark Petrich) and his play toy Donovan Tate (Benjamin Cole). From beyond the grave Anita Bryant (Samantha Gin) as the orange juice queen is pretty funny and of course Dee Dee (Jill Drexler) also makes several appearances from the great beyond that only Donovan can see after he’s stuffed his mouth with some pretty potent mind-altering ‘meds’. If it all sounds complicated, well…it can become that.
Co-directors Jennifer Eve Thorn and Jo Anne Glover keep the play’s funny moments of this rambling book alive with some great staging especially between the Anita Bryant character and the acid queen Benjamin Cole dressed to the hilt looking like some of the transvestites seen in Gay Pride.
Jill Drexler is also a hoot. Once again Donavan is the only one who sees her and their exchanges are quite clever as she goes on about being with the likes of Albert Einstein, “Siggy” Freud and explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Drexler’s outfits are as outlandish as are her musings. Jeannie Galioto’s costumes are as over the top as they are fitting. Robin Christ, Mark Petrich’s and Donovan Tate’s outfits bring in the prize and Missy Bradstreet’s wigs, especially for Robin are just period perfect.
Coming Attractions is a mixed bag that could use some fine-tuning, more character development and could be less talkative. There are some pretty funny, cynical and LOL humor. If you ever were a star struck teenager and lived in the world of Hollywood gossip magazines, this play will be right up your alley.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through July 1st
Organization: Moxie Theatre
Phone: 858-598-7620
Production Type: Comedy
Where: 6663 El Cajon Blvd. Ste. N, San Diego, Ca 92115
Ticket Prices: starting @ $27.00
Web: moxietheatre.com