[NEohioPAL] Review of "The Motherf**ker With The Hat"

[Bob Abelman]

Poetically profane Dobama drama speaks volumes

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 9/21/12

 

 

The title of Stephen Adly Guirgis' latest play, which is currently on stage at the Dobama Theatre, is intentionally provocative and purposefully profane.  Consider it an early warning of things to come.

A 2011Tony Award-nominated drama, "The Motherf**ker With The Hat" is a fast and furious one-act train wreck featuring low-life, foul-mouthed users and abusers.  It is one of those plays that makes you wince but continue to watch for fear of missing something interesting.  

"Motherf**ker" could easily be classified as a tragedy if not for its keen sense of humor and the deceptive ray of hope in the opening scene.  Fresh out of jail for drug dealing, newly employed, and confidently clean and sober, Jackie walks into the seedy apartment he shares with long-time girlfriend Veronica bearing gifts, a self-assured smile, and a new-found optimism.  

Then he finds a stranger's hat in the room and things rapidly derail.

What is so likable about Jackie, Veronica and the other hard-edged, long-suffering, and self-destructive addicts who populate Guirgis' world is that they still have a pure heart and the capacity to care.  Unfortunately, they lack the wherewithal to put others' needs above their own or to see past their own addictions.  These desperate, drowning individuals try to keep their heads above water by dragging down those around them.

What makes this hundred-minute play so intriguing is its use of profane language, which simultaneously serves as each character's floatation device and defensive weapon of choice.  The playwright arms his dramatis personae with enough f-bombs and verbal landmines to assault but never insult the audience's intelligence, and each linguistic IED bears the distinctive mark of its maker.

 

>From Ralph D.-Jackie's sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous and his only friend on the outside-comes profanity so intertwined with 12-step self-empowerment jargon that it seems deceptively harmless.  Actor Charles Kartali, who steps into the undersized shoes worn by comedian Chris Rock during an unfortunate bit of casting in the original Broadway production, does what Rock could not: deliver a smooth-talking chameleon so clever in his camouflage that you have no idea what his real skin looks like or what kind of predator lurks just beneath its surface.  

 

Bernadette Clemens plays Victoria, Ralph D.'s wife, who has finally seen through his disarming verbosity and finds herself disillusioned, disenfranchised, and desperately treading water.  Her pathology is so believable-and Clemens' spot-on New York accent is so endearing and yet so agitating-that it is tempting to toss her either a life preserver or an anchor.

 

Through Veronica, the playwright demonstrates the power bestowed upon those who talk the loudest, the longest, and with the greatest four-letter, foul-worded conviction.  Anjanette Hall's Veronica is portrayed with stunning intensity and raw sexuality, although the wear and tear of on-going addiction never really surfaces in her deciction.  

 

Cursing on the page comes across as street poetry on the stage when expressed by Jeremy Kendall.  Kendall, as Jackie, is a wonder to watch as he manically seeks out the owner of the hat, struggles to bare his soul to others, and keeps his omnipresent demons in check.  He nicely captures Jackie's sincerity while never losing sight of his ill-fated destiny.  

 

Jackie's flamboyant cousin Julio, and Jimmie Woody's portrayal of him, are the only weak links in this production.  Full of sexual and emotional contradictions, Julio is a broadly written character played too broadly.  The intended comic relief is weighed down by the obvious effort behind its fabrication.   

 

Except for this misstep, director Dianne Boduszek gets what the playwright is attempting to accomplish-which is to give voice to those lacking the eloquence of self-expression.  She steers clear of the temptation to do more than simply allowing each character's inadequate words to speak for themselves.  This discipline is also reflected in the scenic and lighting design by Connie Hecker and Pat Hayes, respectively. They have created three simple, conjoined living spaces that capture the essence of the key characters without detracting from their enterprise.  

 

Guirgis' play is more of a character study than a story you can hang your hat on, but it is the kind of raw, raucous, and riveting work that should not be missed.

 

"The Motherf**ker With The Hat" continues through October 7 at the Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.  For tickets, which range from $10 to $26, call 216-932-3396 or visit www.dobama.org.

 
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