Make a deal to see ‘Devil May Care’
Published 9:00 am Thursday, February 28, 2008
Grownups preach. Kids listen. But who hears?
Don’t bargain with the devil.
The Faust legend or giving in to temptation or trading your soul for Satan’s favors. That is the theme of this collection of three, rather uneven, original one-acts offered by Shoreline Community College as part of its summer stock program. Titled “Devil May Care,” the collection represents the work of local playwrights, directors and student actors. It is funny, makes you think and is anything but derivative.
“All Hell Breaks Loose,” written and directed by Jonathan Foster, looks at the price of a drugstore cowboy’s desire for the good-looking gal seated on the bar stool next to his.
The cowboy, played by an absolutely hilarious Ryan Brummitt, wants to strike up a conversation but can’t make up his mind about his motives, whether they are above or below the belt. The John Wayne self-image argues for above. The alter ego, Mephisto, as played by Kevin Moriarty, argues for below. And an absorbing Tara Melinkovich as a kind of neutral, surrealistic fantasy girl, interprets both sides. Melinkovich stuns you as everyman’s dream queen and nightmare from hell. She is terrific.
“Oh! My God Father,” written by Kevin Moriarty and directed by Tony Doupé, takes on the soul in exchange for fame and riches. Ian Jacob as Wink Chippendale, TV quiz show host who sells out, has some particularly unctuous moments; and Karl Holzheimer plays the rotted-out devil’s advocate, Father Coley.
But it is George Jonson and Alicia Nicas as a hillbilly couple and game-show contestants who make things go. In their capable hands, the hoke goes out of hokey, the sin out of sincerity. If you are a sucker for love conquers all and who isn’t, Jonson and Nicas will satisfy.
As for the script, it’s a little self-conscious and not nearly as sure of where it is going, as was Moriarty’s “A Rose for Danny.” “Danny” is one of a kind. “Oh! My God Father” is an amalgam.
“To Hell With Love,” written by Ron Owens and directed by Paul Stetler, by far the most ambitious of the offering, tinkers with the notion of Satan weaseling his way back into Heaven, maybe; the script never really makes up its mind.
Tony Shoffner as Satan never really gives redemption his best shot. Shoffner attempts the awesome Miltonic grandeur that Owens is after, but no actor can get something out of a script that isn’t there to begin with. This Satan begins, ends and never steps one foot out of the grisly, gory, blood-soaked, monster-infested muck he savors. Fortunately, Amanda Lee Wyckoff as Joy, a soul in search of light, sees it, goes to it, and never looks back.
Jason Adkins puts in only a cameo appearance, but what a moment. As “All the Rest,” a kind of hip and with-it, radiant, all-knowing, Christ-like figure, Adkins swivels, shuffles, high-fives. Intended as a caricature, perhaps, Adkins nevertheless generates excitement and is one of the production’s brightest spots.
This is a full evening of talent not always ringing the bell but certainly engaging, stimulating, imaginative. Also, it augurs well for Shoreline CC’s future summer stock program provided it gets the support it deserves. Check it out. Some of the material might not appeal to kids. But for everybody else, it is theater worth seeing.
