Review: Play packs one big wallop
Rohan Preston, Star Tribune
February 7, 2005 PENUMBRA0207
There's a moment of convulsive lovemaking in "Slippery When Wet" when the characters' hearts and histories collide in one painful, high-pitch peel. They abruptly interrupt their union, tearing away in horror and recrimination. That scene, in which the feedback-style scream is provided by an off-stage musician, crystallizes both the artistry and courage of S.H. Murakoshi's romantic comedy, which opened Friday at St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre.
Aside from their ethnicities -- a big aside for African-American filmmaker Rakim (Desean Terry) and Asian-American dancer Helen (Katrina Toshiko) -- the characters are ordinary people who are terribly attracted to each other. They must shed things -- expectations, awkwardness, clothes -- before they can get to know each other. The process proves bitterly funny and difficult because of the family histories and stereotypes that buffet them like waves.
The show, in a fluid staging by Ching Valdes-Aran, offers in one evening of theater the kind of boldness people spend a lifetime trying to achieve. Instead of suppressing stereotypes -- a geisha here, an oversexed buck there -- "Slippery" piles them on with gusto.
Valdes-Aran deftly sets the action on a spare white-colored diamond, where the two actors navigate the sharp edges. A slanted mirror at the back of the stage reflects their actions. Family photos and abstract images are projected, sometimes seeming a tad literal.
Still, Valdes-Aran's direction supports, even elevates the text. "Slippery" opens with a kimono-clad woman who drops her articles as she speaks. This character who could be from the movies quickly sheds her kimono to reveal a contemporary woman clad in a tank top and jeans. The play's dramatic arsenal also includes hysterical asides and a fantasy life that is almost a truth-telling bubble for the characters.
It is a credit to Murakoshi that the play is so balanced, taking on the sticky, icky ethnic stereotypes that imprison Rakim and Helen with an unexpected evenhandedness. The versatility, charisma and chemistry of actors Toshiko and Terry make their onstage tension and attraction credible, aided by Mark Dougherty's expert lighting.
"Slippery" is leavened by its humor. The amusing touches reduce the sting of epithets that are given dramatic voice in a show that is well worth seeing.
Rohan Preston, Star Tribune
February 7, 2005 PENUMBRA0207
There's a moment of convulsive lovemaking in "Slippery When Wet" when the characters' hearts and histories collide in one painful, high-pitch peel. They abruptly interrupt their union, tearing away in horror and recrimination. That scene, in which the feedback-style scream is provided by an off-stage musician, crystallizes both the artistry and courage of S.H. Murakoshi's romantic comedy, which opened Friday at St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre.
Aside from their ethnicities -- a big aside for African-American filmmaker Rakim (Desean Terry) and Asian-American dancer Helen (Katrina Toshiko) -- the characters are ordinary people who are terribly attracted to each other. They must shed things -- expectations, awkwardness, clothes -- before they can get to know each other. The process proves bitterly funny and difficult because of the family histories and stereotypes that buffet them like waves.
The show, in a fluid staging by Ching Valdes-Aran, offers in one evening of theater the kind of boldness people spend a lifetime trying to achieve. Instead of suppressing stereotypes -- a geisha here, an oversexed buck there -- "Slippery" piles them on with gusto.
Valdes-Aran deftly sets the action on a spare white-colored diamond, where the two actors navigate the sharp edges. A slanted mirror at the back of the stage reflects their actions. Family photos and abstract images are projected, sometimes seeming a tad literal.
Still, Valdes-Aran's direction supports, even elevates the text. "Slippery" opens with a kimono-clad woman who drops her articles as she speaks. This character who could be from the movies quickly sheds her kimono to reveal a contemporary woman clad in a tank top and jeans. The play's dramatic arsenal also includes hysterical asides and a fantasy life that is almost a truth-telling bubble for the characters.
It is a credit to Murakoshi that the play is so balanced, taking on the sticky, icky ethnic stereotypes that imprison Rakim and Helen with an unexpected evenhandedness. The versatility, charisma and chemistry of actors Toshiko and Terry make their onstage tension and attraction credible, aided by Mark Dougherty's expert lighting.
"Slippery" is leavened by its humor. The amusing touches reduce the sting of epithets that are given dramatic voice in a show that is well worth seeing.
runk:
That is one SWEEEEEEEET red X!