Creepy, disturbing, imperfect, but absolutely affecting.
Chuck Rose's "Twilight Zone"-for-the-Bush-II-years play is a nicely crafted piece of solid science fiction, and as such delivers a social commentary punch to the gut. Set in what the old show "Max Headroom" called "15 minutes in the future", this is a "No Exit" for today: several people--industrialists, Captains of Industry and entertainers--peruse a new, high-tech fallout shelter when the worst happens and they're all locked in by the corporation who designed it, supposedly for their own good.
What comes of this is a somewhat transparent, but nonetheless taut and well-seen allegory of tensions over the neo-con notion of "security": don't ask questions, trust your keepers, sacrifice without thought. Thrown in to this mix through various references and voice-overs (from the little corporate-cleared "news" this poor lot can receive on their TV monitor) is the notion that the corporation who runs this zoo (and possibly others, unseen) is working with the government to bring things back to "normal". Just like Mussolini would have liked. Or the Bush administration.
The play is not without some plot holes, and some of the character arcs you can see coming (and personally I felt that Rose could have been even harder on the fascists running the show). But the superb ensemble and tight direction from Kappy Kilburn manage keep these in the background, maintaining your focus on the action. Only the amateurish sound design reminds you that this is low-tech, small LA theatre. Otherwise, the knot in your stomach as you leave tells you that this is as solid a theatre experience as you get.
Good, bad or indifferent, I would be hard pressed to tell you the last time I left the theater and had such a heated conversation with my theater-going partner. And I'm still digesting this thought-provoking production. Surely there's something to be said for that in Los Angeles!
Bottom line: A-
Til next time!
--HDSQ, Jr
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