Best known for his iconic and fabulously successful “Forever Plaid” and “Plaid Tidings” musicals, Stuart Ross has a long career in theater as a writer and director. Last year, he directed a wonderful production of “Enter Laughing” at the Wallis Annenberg Center and he is now entertaining L.A. audiences with his direction of “Dinner at Home Between Deaths” at the Odyssey Theatre.
The world premiere of this pitch-black comedy written by Andrea Lepcia and presented by Indie Chi Productions, was inspired by the Bernie Madoff scandal and other Ponzi schemes before and since. Lepcio’s comic thriller examines the American dream and American identity in the face of eroding ethics.
“Most people don’t think they have the knowledge to manage their own money, so they find someone to take care of it for them,” says Lepcio, who has worked as an analyst for Solomon Brothers and Chase Manhattan Bank. “But how do we know who we can trust? Whether as grand an offense as a Ponzi scheme or a more middling mismanagement of funds, far too often the people we put our faith in turn out to be crooks.”
The main character in “Dinner at Home Between Deaths” is Sean Lynch (Todd Waring), a high-powered financier who’s made his fortune on the backs of his investors – more specifically, on the back of the charity run by his sister-in-law, Kat Cabot (Andrea Evans). As the reckoning draws near, he fantasizes about running away to Ireland, but his unsuspecting wife Fiona (Diane Cary) is not having any of that being too attached to her high society life. Meanwhile Lily (Amielynn Abellera), Kat’s step-adopted daughter who works for Sean’s firm, has gone missing. Could it be that Lily and Sean’s secret affair got in the way and he decided to make her disappear before his life got even more complicated? Get ready to be surprised by the most inventive way her disappearance is staged by Ross.
“What distinguishes this as a crime story is that all the repercussions dramatized take place within the family,” suggests Cary. “It’s about how families will pull together to protect the skeletons in their closets.” By the time the three family members sit down to finally enjoy a home cooked meal together, the scheme worked out to cover their tracks is a perfect one, albeit total immoral. It’s difficult to say whether you should admire or despise them for their sophisticated cunning.
I must commend Set Designer Evan A. Bartoletti for his ingenious dinner table centerpiece which cast members transform into a sailboat and bathtub as called for in ongoing scenes. It’s a brilliant piece of staging thanks to Ross’s fast-paced direction and lighting designed by Derrick McDaniel. Costume Designer Michael Mullen has created the most magnificent cocktail party gown for Evans and the most extraordinary short shorts worn by Abellera. It’s easy to see how desirable a woman like Lily would be to such a powerful man, and how much she could assist in destroying both his marriage and his life.
“Dinner at Home Between Deaths” continues as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, through May 8 on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 and may be ordered by calling 323-960-4429 or online at www.plays411.com/dinner.