LAWLU: REVIEW STUDIO CITY SUN

The LA Weekly Loves Us is one of those productions that delivers its comedy with the knowing nods and winks of an inside joke. Part murder mystery and courtroom drama, part backstage drama and love story, this play is all about mining as much comic gold as possible from its "struggling theatre company" premise.

Right from the start, this production messes with our minds. There is a flurry of activity onstage as some props and tables are still being set. Someone says, "Sorry, we're running a bit behind. Please turn off your cell phones." The house lights in the tiny 40 or so seat house are still up and my companion isn't sure if he has time to run to the bathroom or not. As two of the actors/stagehands start to squabble about the precise positioning of a painting, the bickering turns to shoving and quickly escalates to aggression. As the woman fights for her life, she grabs some scissors (a la Dial M for Murder) and stabs the man to death! Talk about a dramatic prologue.

Lights out, then up on a courtroom scene. The actress, Karen (Simone Sullivan) is pleading self defense in the slaying of Bill (Stephen Ferguson), the theatre company's artistic director. The defense and prosecution lawyers present their case in a clever chopping back and forth mode, as we, the jury, watch the courtroom drama unfold, supported by flashbacks to backstage scenes of the Valley Actor's Workshop planning their next production.

Written by Sy Rosen, this play has a definite filmatic feel to it. It's fast paced, punchy and, for the most part, moves with alarming alacrity. In fact, some of the scenes are so brief that the scene change to get back and forth to the courtroom actually seems to take slightly longer. But this play is really funny and never gets boring. Certain devices - such as including the audience as the jury - may not be wholly original, but Rosen and director David Jay Barry push this device to its furthest extreme even to the extent of polling several audience members for their verdict. It's clever stuff with enough unexpected moments to keep you diverted.

The thirteen-strong cast is all good with no standouts, really, and no real stinkers either. Okay, one guy was pretty lame, but why pick on him? Take the scenes when the troupe all workshop and pitch their various self-serving ideas for the next hit show. This provides plenty of opportunities for sniping comments to zing back and forth.

Later, the song and dance montage where all the cast members bust out with a version of the dumb shows they'd like to stage are so screamingly awful they're hilarious. As this is a play about desperate, semi-talented wannabe their poor singing ability turns out to be a comedic asset.

Unintentional hightlight of the show? The critic next to me in the front row was wearing an LA Weekly tee shirt. When I asked if he felt obliged to love the show, he changed the subject.

Fast-paced and punchy silliness makes LA Weekly deliver laughs
By Pauline Adamek	Close this window
The LA Weekly Loves Us is one of those productions that delivers its comedy with the knowing nods and winks of an inside joke. Part murder mystery and courtroom drama, part backstage drama and love story, this play is all about mining as much comic gold as possible from its "struggling theatre company" premise. Right from the start, this production messes with our minds. There is a flurry of activity onstage as some props and tables are still being set. Someone says, "Sorry, we're running a bit behind. Please turn off your cell phones." The house lights in the tiny 40 or so seat house are still up and my companion isn't sure if he has time to run to the bathroom or not. As two of the actors/stagehands start to squabble about the precise positioning of a painting, the bickering turns to shoving and quickly escalates to aggression. As the woman fights for her life, she grabs some scissors (a la Dial M for Murder) and stabs the man to death! Talk about a dramatic prologue. Lights out, then up on a courtroom scene. The actress, Karen (Simone Sullivan) is pleading self defense in the slaying of Bill (Stephen Ferguson), the theatre company's artistic director. The defense and prosecution lawyers present their case in a clever chopping back and forth mode, as we, the jury, watch the courtroom drama unfold, supported by flashbacks to backstage scenes of the Valley Actor's Workshop planning their next production. Written by Sy Rosen, this play has a definite filmatic feel to it. It's fast paced, punchy and, for the most part, moves with alarming alacrity. In fact, some of the scenes are so brief that the scene change to get back and forth to the courtroom actually seems to take slightly longer. But this play is really funny and never gets boring. Certain devices - such as including the audience as the jury - may not be wholly original, but Rosen and director David Jay Barry push this device to its furthest extreme even to the extent of polling several audience members for their verdict. It's clever stuff with enough unexpected moments to keep you diverted. The thirteen-strong cast is all good with no standouts, really, and no real stinkers either. Okay, one guy was pretty lame, but why pick on him? Take the scenes when the troupe all workshop and pitch their various self-serving ideas for the next hit show. This provides plenty of opportunities for sniping comments to zing back and forth. Later, the song and dance montage where all the cast members bust out with a version of the dumb shows they'd like to stage are so screamingly awful they're hilarious. As this is a play about desperate, semi-talented wannabe their poor singing ability turns out to be a comedic asset. Unintentional hightlight of the show? The critic next to me in the front row was wearing an LA Weekly tee shirt. When I asked if he felt obliged to love the show, he changed the subject.