- Brown Spot is a dog, and like any dog his
best friend is Man – or is it? Actually, Brown Spot loves Sonny Bonobo
a monkey who has recently been experimented on by a research lab and
now comes back to Le Café Café, a popular meeting place for animals
who are presented in an anthropomorphic depiction by the playwright.
The waiter is Penguinito, a properly tuxedoed gentlemanly penguin
whose statements are often platitudinous. Around him is Elaine
Ostrich, a buxomy bird who complains about her medical maladies and
soon they are joined by Madeline Kahn, a sexy female cat who enjoys
“catting around” with different males, even if they are not feline.
The topic of conversation between
the dog and the monkey deals with love and sex, and it’s pretty much what
one might hear at a college coffee shop. But soon it turns to the
discussion of the cruelty of humans in the research lab and how the
animals can get back at the humans. The dog, Brown Spot, is conflicted
about placing blame since he has fond memories of being with humans and
the monkey is concerned with his sexual encounters – especially now that
he’s after the cat. Along comes James Rat, a sneaky rodent who speaks in
rhyme and reminds them of how humans try to exterminate him by placing
cheese laden traps which could cut off his head – or tail at best.
The dialog is replete with
witticisms, some quite comical but alas, go by much too fast for some in
the audience. Elaine Ostrich talks about her mother failing to see the
future clearly and says – “...guess that happens when you have your head
in the sand!” Then there’s James Rat proclaiming his rights – “I am a
Rodent American!” and when he is in doubt, exclaiming “What would Mickey
do?”
A brilliant touch was hanging the
famous picture of dogs playing poker, “A Friend in Need”, by Cassius
Marcellus Coolidge in the room where Brown Spot lives. Incidentally, that
picture depicts one of the dogs cheating – a possible foreshadowing of the
story.
All these clever and comic
touches combined with projections and some animation and puppetry make
this story a somber and compelling drama about cruelty – morality – even
justice. If we accept that the animals are a metaphor for a segment of
society that is repressed and abused, can we also accept their draconian
solution for resolving the conflict? And if we continue to identify with
humans, can we argue that the experiments which may seem cruel at the time
often result in a greater good for society and therefore justify the pain
or suffering inflicted?
John Perrin Flynn directs this
darkly comic tale with a keen eye for subduing the melodrama and
maximizing the sensitivity of the characters. In the scene when the humans
come to take away the monkey, you are horrified by the indifference of
man. When the dog and the rat plan their grand scheme it’s not unlike
eavesdropping on conflicted young men in the Middle East planning a
desperate last statement. And when you see the final results you’re kind
of glad that this is a play and you didn’t have to choose sides. With
films like the recent Rise of the
Planet of The Apes and plays like this, someone seems to be making
a case that closely resembles the mission of PETA.
Wikipedia tells us that the
infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on
a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely
type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare.
Maybe they did already! Maybe it wasn’t Shakespeare but rather they wrote
about humans vs. animals and sneaked it into the minds of playwrights so
they can produce cautionary tales like this one. Whatever the case, you
will certainly have a theatre experience that is far different from the
average stage fare normally seen.
The excellent cast for Monkey
Adored includes Ron Bottitta as Penguinito, Jennifer Taub as
Elaine Ostrich, Edward Tournier as Sonny Bonobo, Amanda
Mauer as Madeline Kahn, Patrick Flanagan as James Rat
and David Mauer and Justin Okin alternating as
Brown Spot.
MONKEY ADORED runs Fridays &
Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm through November 20, 2011. ROGUE
MACHINE is located at 5041 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019. Tickets
are $25 (Fri) and $30 (Sat & Sun). Reservations: 855-585-5185 or at
www.roguemachinetheatre.com
Recommended
Comments? Write to us at:
Letters@ReviewPlays.Com
Photo: John
Perrin Flynn
