Let me start by saying although I am quite familiar with Sam Shepard's work (I actually played the lead in "La Tourista" early in my career and understood neither the play nor the director), I have not read this particular play. Thus, in any criticism I offer, and there will be relatively little, I know not whether (unless otherwise stated) I am critiquing the writer or the director. I will say that it is the writer's domain to give us the "whats", the director's and actors' to present us with the "hows". 3KO's production of Shepard's "Curse of the Starving Class", is an overall super production. As in most of Shepard's long form work, Act I takes a while to heat up, but heat up it does. Shepard's writing is a thing of beauty. He's never overly concerned about "moving the plot along". You have to listen, watch, and give yourself over to the rich mixture of free verse poetry, heightened reality, and symbology. "CURSE" is one of Shepard's earlier works and won an Obie; is the first of his "family plays" which includes Pulitzer Prize winner "BURIED CHILD" and the ever popular "TRUE WEST". Set in a farmhouse somewhere in California, the play centers around the dysfunctional Tate family and the curse they seem to carry, a curse that turns whatever they touch into crap. The Midas Touch in reverse. Dad Weston (a solid Daniel Tamm), a once fairly functional farmer, is now a barely functional drunk. Mom Ella (a wonderfully cynical Carol Avery), who can look good when she wants to, now moves her butt for only two reasons; one, to feed her face, and two, to plot to sell the farm out from under Weston, take the money, and run. She's got a business meeting with a lawyer/land speculator Taylor (an impressive Todd Patrick Breaugh) to seal the deal. Son Wesley (a just right Stephen Ferguson), supposedly slightly autistic (thank goodness the actor doesn't go overboard on this), is the caretaker of the farm, trying to maintain some semblance of order in the place. Daughter Emma (a viciously feisty Christina Diaz) is having her first period (note the "curse" symbology), but one gets the idea she's "had the rag on" most of her young life. She's wise beyond her years, and is hell bent on getting out of there for good any way she can. Dad's run up quite a debt via his drinking and purchase of an absolutely useless piece of desert land, and the wolves are at the door to collect. Unknown to Mom, Dad's also plotting to sell the farm to cover his debt. There's the premise. Shepard combines symbology with heightened reality in presenting us with the issue: Are we cursed from birth,or do we bring our rain of bird turd on upon ourselves through our actions? Is the starving class, symbolized effectively in the writing and in the minimalistic set by the almost perpetually empty refrigerator, maggot infested lamb and the farm-gone-to-seed itself, destined for fatalistic failure? This was a once fairly successful family owning a thriving farm. Dad has a collection of classic cars. At the start of Act II, he miraculously sobers up and starts getting the place together, bent on making a recovery. One must suspend one's disbelief at this miracle as in most of Shepard's work. Through a touching monologue (there are monologues throughout giving us insight into what once was; a Shepard device), we learn that Weston once had his farming act together and loved it. But then there's the CURSE, the bloody CURSE. Remember the wolves at the door? Shepard gives us this characteristic slam, bam, thank you ma'am ending in the shorter Act II. Sergeant Malcolm (a terrifically Jack Webb-like Cybele O'Brien) arrives with news that an escaped Emma is in jail for shooting up the nightclub, owned by effectively sleazy Scott Brady (as Ellis), the man Dad owes most of his debt to. Emma escapes jail by seducing the jailer, but can't escape the curse. She splits, there's an explosion, and the wolves; two out-of-place, straight-out-of-Brooklyn mobsters (John Schaffer and Erik Hill); to me totally unnecessary characters (that's the writing; "Diary of a Horse Dreamer" ends the same way) show up to explain the bomb, meant for Dad Weston, and warn of more to come (as if we didn't know), but Wesley's already warned Dad, and Dad had already split, all too quickly for me to believe. Everything's wrapped up in a tight ending package. The Curse wins. I don't want to give anything else away. Say, are you under the same curse? Hell, my curse is run-on sentences, but I live with it. The one thing I couldn't live with in this otherwise well directed production, is director David Jay Barry's choice of music supposedly to be underneath, but to me, overwhelming the monologues. Save for Wesley's surrealistic opening piece, the music is incongruous with the writing. I don't know whether Shepard wrote in specific choices that Barry simply followed, or the music selections were Barry's. I missed the entire touching ending, a short exchange between the fallen Ella, and now thoroughly cursed Wesley, because of the massively obtrusive music, drowning out a moment that should have been left to actors, writer, and the very effective lighting. Well, my buddy Lenny Rose, my muse for the night said "very good, well directed, well acted." His Highness usually walks out during Act I if he's displeased. Lenny stayed until the end, so CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS is a production worthy of your time. I just say to director Barry, "Hey man, turn down the volume or change the record, will ya? I'm trying to feel something here!" THREE AXELS |