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‘Talker’ reaches
thrilling heightsThe Love Talker: At 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, Leeward Community College Lab Theatre. Tickets $8, cash only, at the door. Call 228-8769 for advance ticket purchases.
By John Berger A young woman attracts the sexual interest of a malevolent forest entity. Her older sister calls on the supernatural to save her. The resulting battle is a suspenseful horror story perfect for the Halloween season as HAPA Theatre presents "The Love Talker" in the Leeward Community College Lab Theatre.
Special the the Star-BulletinThe versatile Eric Dixon Burns adds another unconventional role to his resume as he strips down to barely street-legal attire and gives an award-worthy performance in the title role. Burns' female co-stars -- Miyuki Hill (Red Head), Helen Lee (Gowdie) and Sadie Yi (Bun) -- are clad more conservatively, although director Troy M. Apostol uses an adjustment in Lee's attire to suggest a shift of momentum in the battle for Gowdie's body and soul.
Lee gives a fascinating performance. She convincingly morphs between two distinct personalities in portraying the increasing tempo of the spiritual battle being waged. Lee is worth watching even when other performers are playwright Deborah Pryor's intended focal point.
Where and when this spiritual battle is taking place isn't mentioned in the program notes. Yi's accent suggests the two women are African-Americans living in the rural south at a time when belief in evil spirits and techniques of blocking them was common knowledge.
Apostol and Burns avoid any of the moral ambiguity sometimes used to provide dramatic or romantic shadings in similar stories -- some vampire tales for example. There is no question here that the creepy crawly "love talker" is anything but evil and that he and Red Head are unattractive in their true forms.
Apostol and Hill (as make-up artist) suggest this by slathering Burns and Hill (as Red Head) in stark white stage make-up, although Burns loses some of his while slithering around on the floor. When Gowdie speaks of being shown beautiful things we know the beauty is illusionary and the passion she is experiencing is dangerous rather than an expression of life and love blossoming.
The program notes explain that "HAPA Theatre is dedicated to experimental multicultural theatre; where culture is explored through art." That mission statement likely explains a lengthy choreographed opening piece that may best be described as "clothed butoh" and gets the show off to a tedious start.
The performance piece may be intended to foreshadow the outcome of what is to follow in a way that will become clear in the final seconds of the performance. Or maybe it's just a shot at doing "experimental multicultural theatre."
There's no question however that the performances of Burns and Lee make "The Love Talker" a memorable production and a welcome addition to the local theater schedule. Fans of freshness in local theater should be sure to see it.
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