Too Much in the Wings, Too Little on Stage
Posted by Beverly Wilkerson on Apr 13, 2008 - 10:22:23 AM
"The wings of the stage possess their own magic." Photo courtesy of lcag.org.uk
The wings of the stage possess their own magic. Backstage is where an actor’s personal life happens. Behind the dusty curtains, love affairs begin or end, lifelong friendships take hold or fall apart, dreams are made or shattered, and careers can blossom or wither. For a dedicated actor, there is no such thing as idle time, and for them, it’s in the wings where the true laughs are and where drama thrives.
Jerry Sroka’s world premier play “In the Wings” takes on the backstage world, within the context of rehearsing a play in the foreground, a supposed comedy (semi-autobiographical) about a couple dealing with infertility. Traditionally, the play-within-a-play style of farce (Noises Off comes to mind) focuses more on the interplay of the cast members backstage. The play in which they are performing is secondary. In this case, Sroka breaks this mold and uses the rehearsal play to tell his main story.The problem is, the script the actors are rehearsing is not bad enough to be funny, but neither is it as well written as the dialogue of the players in the wings. The comic lines of the actors offstage are funnier, the characters better drawn and their acting chops are quite frankly superior. But to the credit of Annette Reid (Julie), Daniel Hagen (Sam) and Will Schaub (Tony), the three actors in the “play,” they are given an onerous task. Julie, the producer, fires the leading lady and steps into the supposed beauty’s role, making her inevitably the bad guy. It’s hard to feel compassion for a producer who has just fired someone. The director, her husband Sam, up until the last scene is just a disembodied voice from the back of the audience, or we’ve seen only the back of his head as he occasionally comes down to talk to the cast.Then Hagen has to carry the biggest emotional thrust of the story on his shoulders, after we’ve been denied much opportunity to connect with him.Schaub, as the leading actor Tony, the self-absorbed Hollywood Hunk type of guy, if only an inch or two more over the top, would have crossed the line from irritating to lovable.
Photo courtesy of corbis.com
The finest acting is done by Liz Sroka (Carolyn), Jerry Sroka himself, as Murray, and Mariette Hartley (Mary), who unfortunately just don’t have enough to do. In the wings, you see Liz’s character more alive than anything that’s happening down front and center. Her every moment is distinctively conceived, and filled with life and purpose. Jerry is so comfortable in his own skin; his doing the crossword puzzle is more captivating than the actual drama unfolding before us.Hartley’s numerous bit characters are diamonds in the rough which brighten up the stage whenever she makes an entrance. But then before you know it, she’s back “in the wings,” and leaving a gaping void in her wake. When Jerry, Liz or Hartley move into a scene, it comes alive. Sean Moran as George is the one character who despite being “in the wings,” is able to flit between backstage antics and on stage, and therefore gets to successfully delve into his character more than the others.
Infertility is a timely topic, as it’s becoming an increasingly common challenge that couples face. It would be interesting to see Sroka reverse the plays, to have the bit actors in the wings be the struggling couple exposing their trials to get pregnant, and have the rehearsal play be about backstage antics. “In the Wings” is a frustrating show because it has moments of brilliance, of good solid laughs, but they are clouded by Sroka’s mistrust in his own ability. Why resort to reference humor, toying with lines from other shows and movies and using Groucho shtick and the like, when Sroka’s original bits stand stronger on their own? Like the actors who watch from the wings, Sroka’s time has come to stop watching, and rather trust all he’s learned, step forward to center stage, and let his own voice be heard. When it’s good, it’s very, very good. We’re left wanting more, but more of what’s lurking in the wings, ready to come down front and center and wow us.
In the Wings
A World Premiere Comedy
Written by Jerry Sroka
Directed by Don Eitner
At the Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Through May 11, 2008
Fri. and Sat. at 8pm (no shows April 25 and 26); Sun. at 3pm
