Los Angeles Theatre Review: Rock of Abandon

I've never seen a Greek comedy-drama-noir before, but The Elephant's Lillian Stage has temporarily opened its doors to CSI: Athens (circa 440 BCE) in Fierce Backbone's The Rock of Abandon.  The marvelous Jim Hanna (his turn is worth the price of admission) takes on the role of playwright Euripides, who, in the case of playwright Stephen Blackburn's purposes, is also a master sleuth getting on in the years.  He reluctantly accepts the task to solve the mystery of a murdered prostitute and old lover Celine, whose body is left at the title setting.  With the law perpetually on his tale, he must rely on his instincts and set his emotions aside to filter through the agendas of various state officials in his quest for the truth.  War and backdoor dealings serve as the canvass to the story, which is also a thinly veiled examination of power in politics today.  To be perfectly honest, the fleet of actors, exposition, and initial affected language was overwhelming at first, but once Blackburn's scenes secure a more intimate focus with his characters, it's much easier to appreciate what the production is shooting for.  However, I couldn't help but lament the volumes of information that slipped through the cracks of my brain during the first twenty minutes or so.  After the wonky start (at first, the vocal styles are inexplicably, perhaps unintentionally, extremely flamboyant, where every other male character seems to have a purse falling out of their mouths, only to strangely disappear), certain actors stand out and add some really panache to the proceedings like Monica Martin and Carolina Espiro.  Ann Ryerson gives what seems like a mannered, scattered performance, but comes full circle in Abandon's final moment with a ridiculous gag that has somewhat of a payoff.  Matt Richter provided the lighting and sound design for Tiger Reel's various directorial flourishes, which, along with Armando Norte's stark set (imagine a sea of black inscribed with red Chinese-style lightning, with a pentacle-ish centerpiece surrounded by a few column-busts), add an eclectic gravitas to the more essential moments.  I'm sure there was a great deal I missed which warrants a second viewing in a production that is likely to improve through the run.  The play closes November 18th and you can find tickets here.