Enemy of the People (review)

Spoilers ahoy! 

Henrik Ibsen was by all accounts a curmudgeon of the first order.  The story goes on his sickbed an annoyingly chipper nurse greeted him one morning with the words "Are we feeling better Mr. Ibsen?" whereupon he snarled "On the contrary!" and died.

The lead character in Bart DeLorenzo's adaptation of Ibsen's Enemy of the People feels as if made from the same cloth.  He is an honest man, a scientist with a streak of integrity a mile wide and one of stubbornness at least the same size.  Dr. Jay Stockmann (Jay Paulson) finds himself in the deeply unpleasant position of learning a terrible truth, one that inconveniences/threatens the livelihoods of a large community--that the natural springs upon which his town now depends are contaminated and will soon start making all who use them sick.

He faces an uphill battle at best, with his own brother (Jason McBeth) leading the charge against him, hurling charges and libels and bribery as well as much emotional blackmail as he can muster defending the status quo.  Jay's wife (Cara Mitsuko) remains staunchly by his side, even as she increasingly sees this man she loves in a starker light.  He is correct, and honest, and perceptive in the extreme about the world--but he is not really the man she thought he was.  While standing up against even friends and former allies, played by a generally stellar cast (Lauren Campanelli, DeJuan Christopher, Dennis Dun, Clay Hollander), very few people seem either as complete villains nor heroes.  All are flawed, which makes the tale nuanced, feeling very truthful. 

To be honest, though, the play comes across sometimes as less of a human drama and more of a strident complaint about everything we might agree is wrong with our society in toto.  Message plays often have to thread a lot of needles to work, and this one might be failing a few of those needles.  It feels odd saying that, because the arguments made seem valid in the extreme.  But it does diffuse the story by turning into a polemic.  At least that is how it feels.  Which need not be a bad thing, at all!  The sense I got in the end was was nuance--the sheer scope of issues addressed distracted.  Writing as much makes me feel a bit like a coward, since every point raised seems more than valid, seems vital.  

At the play's end, I felt weary and somewhat hopeless.  Which may have been the point, the goal, in order to motivate me and the rest of the audience.

If so, bravo.

If not, this remains a compelling and thoughtful piece of powerful theatre.

As of this writing, performances of Enemy of the People are available on Friday September 25 and Saturday September 26 at 8pm, with performances 3pm and 7:30pm on Sunday September 27 at the Odyssey Theatre 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025.

 

Green Corridors (review)

Spoilers ahoy!

The title of the current production at City Garage, Green Corridors, refers to a path through the war-torn regions of Ukraine where refugees might find safe passage abroad.  The play,  by Natalka Vorozbhyt  translated by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus, focuses on a group of such.  

Interestingly, here is a play about the Ukraine War almost entirely set outside that nation, following some refugees who find their way into Western Europe.  Such echoes a classic story line made most famous as either The Odyssey or maybe Lord of the Rings.  It is about people called abroad by need, who find their hearts and events call them back home.

We all want a home, after all.  All of us long for a place, a history, a group of people we call our own.  Invasion and war, organized human violence in other words, force us away yet call us back.  

The cast--including such regulars with this theatre as Angela Beyer, and Martha Duncan, as well as Ricky Lee Grove, Alicia Ivanhoe, Dennis Kimmel, Georgia Orchid, Cruz St. James, and Eric Trosch--do a splendid job of showing us this collection of individuals trying their very best to live, to love, to deal with rage as well as humiliation.  Frankly I felt an eerie sense of deja vu throughout, of every single time my own life has turned topsy turvy in some way.  From living through hurricanes, weathering the passing of friends and family, to enduring the frankly ever-growing terror of recent events (at my own home as well as abroad), the emotional strings of memory felt drummed upon again and again. 

I am a big fan of CityGarage, and have been for years.  Honestly this production is among the most powerful I have ever seen from them, which please believe is very high praise indeed.

As of this writing, Green Corridors has one more weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 4pm on September 27, 2026 at Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave. T1, Santa Monica, Ca, 90404.