Review: Vestal Virgins by Marcy Rodenborn. Directed by Doug Staley. With Marty Mukhalian, Karen Jo Fairbrook, Samie Detzer, Frances Hearn, Terri Weagant, Matthew Middleton, Ben Burris. Now through December 18 at Theater Schmeater.
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| Sami Detzer pins Matthew Middleton in “Vestal Virgins” at Theater Schmeater. Photo by Regan MacStravic/Theater Schmeater. |
I’m very late with this review, and I apologize. The holidays, the weather, seasonal affective disorder, Bristol Palin almost winning Dancing with the Stars…they’ve all taken a toll on your reviewer. He needs a long rest on a short beach with a tall mai tai and a Cuban cabana boy. Or cash. Cash would be fine as well.
In the meanwhile, we need to talk about Theater Schmeater’s current production, the world premiere of Marcy Rodenborn’s comedy, Vestal Virgins. This was my first visit to the “Schmee” as its fans refer to it, and I’ll admit I was nervous…you’ve heard me whine and moan on here about my lack of love for the Balagan’s (former) basement home; I LOATHE basement theater…it’s like being trapped in a never ending episode of Laverne & Shirley. But, the Schmeater has relatively high ceilings and a pretty sophisticated light grid…not once did I feel like I was trapped in the Tomb of Ligeia.
It also helped that Vestal Virgins is an entertaining play. It’s not great art but I don’t think it’s trying to be. It’s feminist punk Neil Simon which means it’s a bit raw and it’s a bit broad and it really doesn’t make much sense but it’s graced with some vibrant characters and Ms Rodenborn gives them all a powerful moment or two at some point in the show. And, it’s nice to see a show where the women have the strongest roles and the men are secondary…it’s so often the other way around in theater and film.
I hesitate to disclose too much of the plot. This is show with “twists” so I don’t want to ruin it for anyone, but in a nutshell, it’s about a female, Disney-esque tween star improbably named Little Nannakin (think Mandy Moore or Selena Gomez) who’s desperate to get the rights to an old punk rock song from a seminal 80’s female punk band, the Vestal Virgins. She dispatches her put upon manager, Niko (she’s also blackmailing him) to find the two remaining band members, Tsarina and Miss Clitty, who are living together in near poverty after years of abusing booze, drugs and groupies. The two have cleaned up, though Miss Clitty is still as demented sober, as she was when she was using, (she’s a drummer; think female version of Animal from The Muppet Show). Meanwhile, Tsarina has a 19 year old boytoy named Scar who also seems to have a connection to the Vestal’s first and best groupie, Olivia. And, not satisfied with the progress that Niko is making with the negotiations with the band, Nannakin dispatches the president of her “Virgin” fan club, Chloe, to spy on the Vestal’s household….yes, the show is only two hours long but they manage to pack a LOT into those two hours. Eventually, we discover why Nannakin is so intent on connecting with the Vestals and all 32 plot lines are nicely wrapped up by the end of the evening.
No, it’s not a realistic show, but it IS fun, especially if you’re from that time period or like the music of the era. Director Doug Staley keeps the pace moving at a brisk pace but wisely pulls back for some of the more intimate moments: Tsarina consoling Miss Clitty; groupie Olivia confronting Tsarina; the virgin spy Chloe revealing her life story to a bemused Niko. These smaller, quieter moments are the strongest in the show and reveal the strengths of the playwright: crafting broad characters that are grounded with real human emotion and honesty.
But, I think a lot of the credit must also go to the actors. I think in lesser hands, this play would not have been as enjoyable. The Schmee is a tiny fringe theater but it attracts some prestigious talent to its basement, chief among them Marty Mukhalian as the front woman Tsarina. I was first introduced to Ms Mukhalian this summer in Strawshop’s production of The Laramie Project and she was an impressive presence in that stellar cast but the majority of her roles in that show skewed older and dowdier. Here, she is anything but old and dowdy; Tsarina is a proud, strong, sexually charismatic force of nature carrying on an affair with a boy young enough to be her son. It’s a bold, raunchy performance and one that Ms Mukhalian is obviously relishing; she also plays a mean guitar.
In support, Karen Jo Fairbrook was very, very funny as the over the top drummer, Miss Clitty but she also was strong in the quieter moments of the play as well, exposing the fear behind the character’s quirks and tics. Frances Hearn’s character, Olivia didn’t always connect with the rest of the characters and the part seems to be both under written and inconsistent but Ms Hearn was fine in it. Newcomer Samie Detzer as the diva starlet Little Nannakin really didn’t have any quiet moments but she managed to play the hell out of her big moments and kept up very nicely with the older, more experienced actresses. She also has the best whine in the business…she can draw out a mewling cry longer than a Jimi Hendrix guitar solo. It was awesome!
Both men in the cast offered fine support, but the ladies rock this house. Matthew Middleton seemed a little young to be the manager, but he made a good “straight” man for the larger personalities in the play. Ben Burris’s Scar was one of those larger characters and he does a fine job with the besotted man child enthralled with the sexual mysteries of his Lady Cougar, Tsarina.
Finally, we come to my favorite character/actress in this play. Terri Weagant is one of those breakthrough actresses who has gradually come to the attention of Seattle theater goers with her off beat, slightly off center portrayals of odder than thou characters. In lesser hands, these characters might be trite and self indulgent but Ms Weagant has the gift of making them her own and making them real flesh and blood beings. The virgin Chloe is awkward, earnest and self-deprecating and could easily become a maudlin cliche, but the actress gives the character enough fire and verve to overcome any possibility of characterture. The best scene is Chloe in a car with Niko and Chloe slowly begins to hope that this moment, with Niko, might just be her first date. It was very sweet, but funny and it played truthfully. And, it was almost matched by Chloe’s final scene in the play when she reveals she has some very special hidden talents…
Vestal Virgins is light, naughty entertainment and it’s fun. If you go to it with those expectations, you should have a fine time. If you’re looking for something deep and dense and meaningful and teeming with artistic and intellectual promise, then stay home and read Proust…these Virgins aren’t what you’re looking for.
– Michael Strangeways
