Los Angeles Theatre Review: A Brooklyn Love Story (formerly known as Emergency Used Candles)

Sometimes, the remarkable disguises itself unassumingly. Generally, as one ages and perhaps relents to the throws of the jaded populace, to have one’s socks truly knocked off is accompanied by a loud, showy obviousness, which occurs once in a blue moon. That’s a very specific predicament I often find myself contending with, which, to be quite honest, is stifling and too restrictive. Chiara Montalto’s one-woman show A Brooklyn Love Story (formerly titled Emergency Used Candles), now playing at Theatre 68, is a reminder that life’s pleasures are quite simple and plain, and, essentially, it's all about the ability to relate. The autobiographical comedy centers on her life with her Brooklyn grandparent. They’re a May-December couple with this version of herself as a green, college-aged youth juxtaposed with her 92-year-old forefather. He’s a happy-go-lucky type who fondly refers to his granddaughter as “sweetheart.” Her eloquent observations find a voice in his Bensonhurst-bred tongue. He has his routine beset with an assortment of quirks, which provide a background of sorts to Montalto’s dating life at the time. The exceptionally young and bright actor offers the audience a quaint flavor that has all but disappeared from our social culture, channeling her granddad, as well as a choice few others. It feels like Radio Days, even if Law & Order is on the tube.  The set is a little haphazard, with boxes encircling a jukebox and random radiators lying about, but the centerpiece of the stage is a huge net plastered with loose pages on both sides (it looks like paper machete), spiraling down to an armchair at its base. The image creates a movement as if Montalto has been whisked into Los Angeles for a short time only in this whimsical valentine to her grandfather. You can find tickets here.