Hollywood Fringe Festival Theatre Review: Fool for Love

The title placard for Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love projects onto the back wall of The Actor’s Company stage (used by the recent Marie Curie), parting the simple set of an old TV atop a dresser on one end and a bed and night stand on the other.  There was a mild humidity in the space to coat the Southwestern tale of two star-crossed lovers narrated by The Old Man (Ed Beardsley).  The play opens with a huge argument which continues to resurface throughout the whole production.  The dirty jeaned Eddie (Casey Campbell) is a stuntman back in town who spent too much time apart from May (Chelsea Reynolds)--the love of his life despite all the other women--pondering the beauty of her neck in her absence.  She has other plans, however, despite Eddie’s insistence that, “you’ll never get rid of me.”  With the spurs of his boots dug into the floor of her hotel room, getting rid of him will be no easy task.  When she informs him of her new self-sustaining occupation as “a cook,” his laughter turns her into a bull, as she paws the ground and slides her foot back, revving up to charge at him with everything she has.  If he insists on remaining, there may be nothing left but remains of the two of them.  With her cascade of brunette locks, Reynolds captures the spitfire that is May and Campbell is quite at ease holding up the red cape.  

Jordan Randall

May lures a gentleman caller into her messed-up world as a sounding board to reveal the secret behind her love with Eddie; the irony being Martin's (Jordan Randall) family roots.  After a moment between the two men, May appears backstage-left lit up like the red awning described by Eddie.  The production prerecorded the role of The Old Man offering his perspective on the situation with the look of dated black & white film interspersed throughout the play.  The perfection of timing required robs the play of some of its spontaneity, but, ultimately, it works.  Later, in that same distinctively bright scarlet red dress, May rolls along the wall displaying the projected image of the old coot—going in circles being the play’s pervading theme, which director Melody Rahbari deftly captures.  “Fifteen years I’ve been a yo-yo for you,” May lays it out for Eddie while fighting within her soul to resist his burly advances.  Her desire to break the reckless, toxic cycle that is their relationship manifests itself onstage whether it be Eddie rolling a tequila bottle around on the concrete floor or how she twirls as she ignores Eddie and collects herself to let Martin know that, “I’m going to get some glasses” when she steps out for a short period leaving the two men alone.  The antics are often fun, accents are good, and language is a hoot (Eddie threatens May with the impending arrival of Martin, “I’m going to squash that date into a fig”).

The Vespertine production continues its run at the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival June 22^nd and 23^rd at 7 PM at The Actors Company on 916A N Formosa Ave, behind the Target/Best Buy super-complex at Santa Monica Blvd and La Brea.  You can buy tickets here.