[NEohioPAL] Review of CVLT's "Wonder of the World"

[Bob Abelman]

CVLT comedy 'Wonder of the World' is an acquired taste

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 12/7/12

 

 

Chagrin Valley Little Theater reserves its musty, miniscule River Street Playhouse facility for unconventional offerings with no-frills production values.  Currently on stage is David Lindsay-Abaire's "Wonder of the World," an off-kilter comedy that most certainly fits the bill.  

 

The play invites us to join fellow travelers Cass (Kacey Shapiro) and Lois (Catherine Remick) on their bizarre journey of self-discovery and self-destruction-a "Thelma and Louise" road trip of sorts, but with laughs and no feminist manifesto.  And the girls travel by bus rather than in a 1966 Thunderbird convertible.  And they go to Niagara Falls rather than the Grand Canyon.  And the delightfully odd characters speak in second-guessing non sequiturs like this.

 

Cass has just left her mild-mannered husband (Jerry Schaber) in order to experience the exciting life she's been missing which, according to her to-do list, includes having sex with a stranger (Don Knepper), learning Swedish, and witnessing a lethal injection.  She is making her pilgrimage to Niagara Falls because it is the place her parents were heading when they crashed and died.  Lois, a sarcastic alcoholic and Cass's sidekick, is intent on teaching her estranged husband a valuable lesson by committing suicide where they had honeymooned.  Let the merriment begin.

 

As with the other oddball comedies by Lindsay-Abaire, which includes "Fuddy Meers," all the humor in this play is derived from the afflictions that define its pathetic characters.  While the right side of your brain demands that you look away from this human train wreck on stage, the left side is captivated.  "Wonder of the World" is a very funny play, but only if one gives in to the joyous lunacy that unfolds and suspends disbelief in the tragedy that drives the hilarity.  Consequently, it is not for everyone.

 

Added to the mix is some semblance of a serious theme, where characters reflect on their significant decisions in life and wonder whether strange events in their past have bearing on their current circumstances.  Such seriousness goes nowhere, however, and simply adds to the general disjoined absurdity taking place.

 

In short, "Wonder of the World" is a funhouse excursion that asks audience members to sit back, keep their tray tables in their upright and locked position, and simply enjoy the ride.

 

Like a crazed carnie, director Vyonne Pilarcyk attempts to make the ride fast and furious.  She gives her actors carte blanche to explore the extremes of their characters but makes sure they play it straight-faced, as if they were performing "Thelma and Louise."  This allows the underlying outlandishness to boil to the surface.

 

Unfortunately, only some of the players are able to acquiesce with that balance.  

 

Mark DePompei and Kathy McPeak are wonderful as Glen and Karla, husband and wife amateur private investigators hired to find Cass so her husband can attempt to reconcile their relationship. They manage to say the most bizarre things with such innocence and earnestness that everything comes out as hilarious.  

 

Hilarious also defines the performance by David Malinowski who, in drag, plays a variety of female roles with outrageous abandon.  He is particularly funny in a scene near the play's end where he serves as a clown-psychologist conducting couple's therapy with all the other characters.  The scene goes on far too long and is, on page, gimmicky to a fault, but Malinowski works hard and finds laughs.

 

Although more elaborate set design is not required, keeping things as simple as this CVLT production (several props and  pieces of furniture define a space) draws focus to the uneven performances which, in turn, call attention to flaws in the script that can only be sidestepped with stronger performances.  Still, "Wonder of the World" and this production of it is a fun ride for those who enjoy their comedy quirky.

 

"Wonder of the World" continues through December 15 at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse, 56 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  For tickets, which are $10, call 440-247-8955 or visit www.cvlt.org.


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