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Sketches underscore Lab’s flip side
Flipsides of Desire: 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Tickets: $7 regular, $6 for students, seniors, military and UH faculty and staff, $3 for UHM students with fall I.D. Call: 956-7655
By John Berger It's certainly possible that someone somewhere could make an interesting and meaningful theatrical experience out of dividing an audience in half so that each sees only part of what is happening on stage. That isn't the case, though, at the UH-Manoa Ernst Lab Theatre as the Late Night Series kicks off with student director Megan Evans deploying an ensemble of six in "Flipsides Of Desire."
Special to the Star BulletinVarious combinations of the six perform on one side of a dividing curtain, where half the audience can see them, while the rest do something else on the other side. The segments are then performed in reverse order with each team now performing for the people who could hear them but not see them the first time around.
Playwriting by committee rarely succeeds and "Flipsides," developed by Evans and the cast, proves it. Almost none of it is more interesting or substantial the second time around. Few of the characters or situations merit another look. No "desire" is evident.
The one exception, "Komachi," explores the life of 9th-century Japanese poet Ono no Komachi as she uses her skill with words to belittle and discourage the romantic interest of a man she does not love. "Komachi," credited to Romulus Linney and evidently inspired by at least one classic Japanese piece, combines solid dialogue with a memorable performance by the woman who portrays Komachi. Unfortunately the program does not credit the performers for each sketch so the actress remains anonymous to the audience.
"Denver," adapted from cast member Joshua Fanene's "The Thing That Sucks About Being a Two-faced, Two-timing Son-of-a-bitch ...," is notable as new material and the work of a young resident writer (Troy M. Apostol, Emi Fujinami, Helen Lee, Vance Liem and Lisa D. Niemczuara are the other cast members).
Less remarkable sketches appear to address the results of substance abuse. Most of the choreography created by the cast members seems inspired by the behavior of brain-damaged patients in a mental hospital.
The program notes position "Flipsides" as being about "operating on incomplete information" and that being aware that we do this helps us "move through life with compassion."
The message that comes through most clearly is that not all attempts at playwriting by committee are successful. Labs are places where experiments are conducted and "Flipsides" is certainly part of the process. However, the best thing that can be said about the overall experience is that the air conditioning works.
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