Insightful and compassionate, “The Mystery of Love & Sex” is the story of four people whose lives are inextricably intertwined. Charlotte (Mae Whitman) and Jonny (York Walker) are two college students who have been friends since they were nine years old. Attending college together with very few other close friends, the two spend many late nights together discussing life and their newly developing sexuality.
Setting the mood for the humor in the show, the two friends engage in some rather hysterical “dancing” to lighten their mood, creating roars of laughter from the audience.
But when Charlotte attempts to seduce the virginal Jonny, things don’t go the way she planned, hurting her deeply. Why wouldn’t her best friend want to be with her to ease his way the first time? What she does not realize is Jonny is hiding a deep secret, one he has not shared with anyone else – not even his mother, a Southern Baptist who would not approve of his friendship with a white, Jewish girl – let alone his fear to admit he is gay.
And then there are Charlotte’s parents Lucinda and Howard (Sharon Lawrence and David Pittu) who appear to be more open-minded about their daughter’s lifestyle as well as her choice of friends and lovers, that is until Charlotte leaves the room and they talk privately expressing their true feelings as they push each other’s deep-seated emotional buttons. The luminous Ms. Lawrence takes it in stride and throws it right back twice as hard, generating laughs each time she snaps her fingers around her face to avoid the need for a cigarette to calm her nerves.
Soon the onslaught of uncomfortable truths about all four of them is unleashed, letting us see the inner souls attempting to hide behind masks of who they think other people want them to be. Certainly everyone has secrets we wish not to share, even though true friends and families should be willing to accept you as you are. But first, it is necessary to accept yourself, something that Charlotte and Jonny struggle with for fear their choices will lead to contempt and ridicule.
Director Robert Egan knows his way around an “issue play” and has always believed theatre could help combat the racial and political injustices of the social world around us. Bathsheba Doran’s heartfelt new work, “The Mystery of Love & Sex,” the focus is on a quartet of likeable, fragile characters trying to negotiate, then renegotiate, their bonds with each other as they attempt to trust each other. Egan allows us to see the closeness of their tight bonds, especially during a lovely scene between mother and daughter on the eve of her wedding. Whitman and Lawrence are adorable together as they swap stories and secrets, allowing us to see that perhaps this is really the first time the two women have really opened up and been able to really trust each other.
I also enjoyed Egan’s direction of each scene change choreographed to perfection on Takeshi Kata’s Southern atmospheric set, with each cast member adjusting the set pieces, often in tandem with very precise, mirrored movements. And a salute to Whitman and York on their bravery to let us see “all” of them during their attempts to share who they really are with each other, each scene a true depiction of the sexual and emotional anatomy of us all.
But perhaps the most brilliant moment of the play occurs with the entrance of Robert Towers during the wedding reception, a perfectly timed moment that throws everyone into a tizzy of shocked giddiness, especially the audience! Such brilliant writing and direction is to be commended.
“The Mystery of Love & Sex,” continues through March 20 at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. Tickets range from $25 – $85 (ticket prices are subject to change) and are available by calling 213-628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. The Mark Taper Forum is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave. in downtown L.A.
3-D Theatricals presents Broadway quality ‘Beauty and the Beast’
This spectacularly magnificent musical production began the new 3-D Theatricals 2016 season and was a perfectly entertaining fantasy experience for Disney and theater-loving audiences of all ages. With a 31-member triple-threat cast (all local talent) led by Afton Quast (Belle), Alexander Mendoza (Beast), Cameron Bond (Gaston), and the athletic prat-falling Robert Ramirez (Lafou), along with the ensemble of castle characters led by Dennis Kyle as Lumiere, every actor fully embodied the joy of their characters and contributed to the truly impressive spectacle that enchanted audiences, especially during the riotous “Be Out Guest” ensemble number.
Accompanied by an 18-piece orchestra also composed entirely of local talent conducted by Julie Lamoureux, the entire production directed by T.J. Lawson with stunning choreography by Billy Sprague, Jr. was a wonder to behold thanks to the amazing set design by Gateway Productions, costumes designed by Mela Hoyt-Heydon, lighting designed by Jean-Yves Tessier, and projections designed by Andrew Nagy. It’s a shame the run ended last weekend but fear not. The season has just begun.
Be sure to get tickets for their two shows scheduled for the rest of 2016: “The Fully Monty” and “Hello Dolly!” Certainly both will uphold 3-D Theatricals goal to present Broadway quality productions right here in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. “The Full Monty” will be presented at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center April 15-17 and a Fullerton’s Plummer Auditorium from April 22-May 8. “Hello Dolly” will begin its run in Fullerton from July 15-31, then moving to Redondo Beach from Aug 5-7. Tickets and more info at www.3dtshows.com