CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS Reviewed by Jeffrey R Smith
CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS
Reviewed by Jeffrey R Smith of the S.F. Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle
In the minds of many, Sam Shepard is the patron saint of the dysfunctional family.
While divorce lawyers, family therapists, psychiatrists, bar tenders, crime scene investigators, coke dealers, Porsche salesmen and massage therapists make a hefty income from the spawn of dysfunctional families, Sam creates an uninhibited theatrical genre from them.
BURIED CHILD, SAVAGE LOVE, A LIE OF THE MIND, FOOL FOR LOVE are just a few of his plays that serve as a gentle reminder that you do not have to have a happy childhood in order to have an unhappy marriage.
While people from quasi-normal families may think that Sam is exaggerating—indulging himself in a bit of hyperbole—those in audience raised somewhere between the lunatic fringe, feral child syndrome and shock treatments, appreciate Sam for his subtlety, understatement and sensitive restraint.
Tolstoy opens ANNA with the line, "All happy families are pretty much the same, but unhappy families enjoy a savory uniqueness."
Then too, we may not be quoting accurately: there is always a little piquancy lost in the translation.
Currently A.C.T. of San Francisco is performing Shepard's CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS.
If you have even wondered why you can't stay married for more than two years, or why you live in a lean-to made from an automobile hood, or why you still wet the bed, or why you watch FRIENDS and reality TV, this play could have some cheap but meaty answers for a lot less than the $100+ per hour you are currently paying your therapist, acupuncturist, dominatrix or girl friend.
Peter DuBois has done an excellent job of directing this whacky piece of twisted backwater Americana: while not bridling his characters, Pete has superimposed a bit of order to the causal madness that nearly all of Shepard's characters enjoy.
Jud Williford (as Wesley) traverses the chasm between a recoiled, withdrawn and retreated young man battling for self-preservation and a maturing boy who has not given up on reaching out to the damaged goods that serve as his family.
Nor is Jud shy about sharing his personal life with large audiences either—ladies, if you are sitting rows K through W you might want to have your opera glasses discreetly at the ready: while there is no photography allowed at A.C.T., Actors Equity cannot stop you from taking all the mental pictures you like.
One appreciative lady found such artistic stimulation in Mister Williford's performance that she stood on her seat to give Jud a standing ovation at curtain call—rarely do women whistle, hoot, cat call and throw their business cards at the Geary Theatre.
Jack Willis (as Weston) gives a great performance: lending credibility to a character that is so comfortable with his own insanity that the audience senses lunacy is merely an alternative lifestyle.
San Francisco's finest homegrown actor: Rod Gnapp (as Ellis) is major asset to the show: Rod puts forth a magnum performance as the bar owner-loan shark: Rod creates an Ellis who is both ruthlessly hard nose and easy going and even likeable at the same time.
Rod is best known in San Francisco for his stunning portrayal of Artie Mitchell in genius playwright Cintra Wilson's XXX LOVE ACT.
A marvelous set design by Loy Arcenas convincingly blends the authentic architectural styles of Southwest desert rusticity with compelling evidence of wholesale neglect by the occupants.
Part of the genius of Sam Shepard is that he can turn a family tragedy into a comedy so funny that even a social worker or a domestic disturbance unit would laugh.
If you are looking for comedy and laughter in all the wrong places, this show is for you.
For tickets, borrow a quarter, find a pay phone, and call 415-749-2ACT.
Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food.