BWW Reviews: Jo Morello & Jack Gilhooley's LIFE UPON THE WICKED STAGE at Gypsy Stage Repertory

There are some things that make a city great. Used bookstores, the number of antiques and oddity shops, and of course a vibrant theatre scene. To be more specific, a vibrant theatre scene that showcases new plays. The Bay Area isn't quite there yet, but the wonderful people at Gypsy Stage Repertory have something to say about it.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the new play by local playwright heroes, the husband and wife team of Jo Morello and Jack Gilhooley. And although the results of their show are decidedly mixed, it bodes so well that a new play gets to see the light of day in a static sea filled with cobwebbed Michael Parker plays and overdone Disney musicals.

God bless Gypsy Stage Repertory for having faith in local playwrights and spotlighting their shows. Their collaboration is entitled LIFE UPON THE WICKED STAGE, and simply put, it's an insider's view of the theatre: the highs and lows of playwriting; auditions; the perception of chorus boys as gay; feuding playwrights; actors who dare to change a writer's work; auditions for dogs; and agents from hell. You name the theatrical horror story, and it's here. The show is entertaining at times, and because it was created right here, in our very own backyard, it deserves to be seen.

Six short plays make up this WICKED STAGE, starting with "The (Play)wRight's Stuff," which features a debate between a playwright and a director who threatens to change words in the script. This is followed by "The Hetero Chorus Boy," which is a bit too close for comfort to the old SNL skit, "Lyle, The Effeminate Heterosexual" (though I did like the "it's okay" reactions from comrades to his coming out as straight). Then we get to see marital strife refereed by one of the most memorably obnoxious agents imaginable in "Connubial Bliss." (Are the playwriting husband and wife team of Williams & Williams modeled after Morello & Gilhooley? You be the judge.)

Act 2 starts off with "Obsolete," where a director wants to do away with actors and instead use soccer balls, a la Wilson from Cast Away, with digitalized voices added. Then we get "The Dog Lovers," which particularly hit home with me (since I once held an audition solely for canines). And the show ends with "Co-Dependents," a sequel to Act 1's "Connubial Bliss."

The acting for the most part is passable. I enjoyed Preston Copeland's cray-cray cowboy in "Co-Dependents," and thought he exited the stage way too quickly (it's always good wanting more from a character, not less). Natalie Sullivan is always a nice onstage presence, and Tim Guerrieri and Beth Adele Long make for a good playwriting couple in the short plays that close both acts. Jonathan Thornsberry is strong as the hetero chorus boy, and Brianna Larson (understudying for Tracey Roese) has the most expressive eyes and is always dynamic onstage (she's a standout here as she was in last summer's Hair at Eight O'Clock Theatre). And Tamara Spiri makes for one of the most purposefully annoying agents imaginable. It's a stereotype of the loudmouth New York agent of course, but it's an entertaining stereotype nonetheless.

The direction, by Mary Locarni and Lil Barcaski, tries to keep the momentum going. The set is bare-boned which seems appropriate (the show can be performed anywhere...and actually is being performed at various venues in the Bay Area). On the sour side, the actors did have line issues, including some uncomfortable pauses, and the pace was excruciating at certain intervals.

As for the plays themselves, they need some tweaking, mostly forced lines or preaching comments (telling us, not showing us). Although "Agents are the enemy of art" sounds like a good bumper sticker slogan, it falls flat when spoken aloud. A stale Donald Trump hair joke is way too forced and groaningly obvious, and a "mustache on the Mona Lisa" quip seems a hundred years out of date (since Marcel Duchamp actually added a mustache to the Mona Lisa in "L.H.O.O.Q."). That said, I did enjoy such lines as "Computers don't improve writing, only spelling." Still, the whole thing could use some major tightening; oftentimes it seems like the mini-plays meandered, and we anticipated the endings to them several times.

But Morello and Gilhooely are pros that know how to give us a good time. Obviously they write from experience. And their work is filled with moments of barbed humor and bizarre shenanigans. I urge you to support these local playwrights, local actors, local directors, and the local theaters that lovingly put their shows on. It will do you good.

For tickets, please call (813) 922-8778. As their namesake suggests, Gypsy Stage Repertory roves all around the Bay Area. I saw LIFE UPON THE WICKED STAGE at the Studio at 620 in St. Petersburg, but it will be performed at various Bay Area locales throughout January and into February. Here is the schedule:

Friday, January 16th - Showcase Arts Foundation @ 8 pm

Sunday, January 18th - The Blu Room Theater (at the Flamingo hotel) @ 3:00 pm

Friday, January 23rd - The Centre of Palm Harbor - Dinner @ 6:00 pm/show @ 6:45 pm

Saturday, January 24th - The Metro Wellness & Community Center @ 7:30 pm

Friday, January 30th - Arts Center Sarasota @ 8:00 pm

Wednesday, February 4th - The Hale Activity Center @ 7:00 pm