Theatre Review: Love Struck

Dale Griffith Stamos wrote “seven one-acts about for the Beverly Hills Playhouse and director Maggie Grant put them all on their feet as Love Struck.  Many of the pieces revolve around Catholic confessionals, resisting physical temptation of the masculine sex, therapy, as well as getting older in life.  The melodramas fluctuate between relational comedy and subject matters of a more serious nature and social relevance.  “Amanda Split” offers the novel concept of a woman being played by two different actors: one who is actually her and the other her ego and sexual desire.  Visiting similar themes, the more successful “The One” is saved by confident Kirk Enochs and Natasha Charles Parker who share some nice chemistry in the best directed scene of the bunch.  As well, Barbara Bain (the Emmy-award winner played Cinnamon Carter in the 1960s Mission: Impossible) and Nick Ullett play off each other like old hands in “Matchmade,” while his character tries to pick up on his dating service representative. 

Nick Ullett, Barbara Bain in "Matchmade"

The four dramas are topical, yet melodramatic.  One scene consists of only a monologue of a young man who has something to get off his chest to his pastor after playing the violin at his Catholic mother’s funeral.  As Jeremy, Eric Charles Jorgenson is both heartfelt and very easy on the eyes.  But looking around the audience while pondering why a character would be possessed to take the stand he does (which becomes predictable pretty quickly), I realized it was a self-congratulatory affirmation of retired affluent liberal progression, as well as a softball challenge to the less evolved.  So in some ways, it served a purpose.  One couple left after his scene for unidentified reasons.  Although, after Jeremy passing off a ménage à trois during his initial coming-out as a natural and common occurrence for adult gay men, I felt like leaving too.   

Another son dealing with a mother suffering from dementia while holding a secret doesn’t fare so well and neither do the remaining dramas, which are quite episodic.  A domestic abuse PSA set in a therapist’s office allowed us the smooth British brogue of Matthew Brenher, although it was awfully shocking that he wasn’t playing the first male character in the show to quite literally hold out his empty glass to a woman expecting it to be filled.  Many of the handsome actors appear to be on loan from the soap opera world.  Love Struck plays until May 27^th.  You can buy tickets here.  When I first walked into the theatre I was struck by the distinct aroma of roses and mothballs.  It reminded me of my grandmother when I used to visit her in San Francisco.