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February 21, 2003
'Dogs Barking' a
Raw Portrait By Philip Brandes, Special to The Times When love dies, relationships become driven instead by power -- sometimes with devastating results, as we see in "Dogs Barking," an edgy, confrontational and very promising inaugural production from MetaTheatre Company at West Hollywood's Third Street Theatre. Skillful performances mine the scissor-like nuances of manipulation and one-upmanship in Richard Zajdlic's stark portrait of a British working-class couple locked in brutal conflict over control of their London flat. Volatile, chain-smoking Neil (Sam Levassar) had left the flat to bitter, sarcastic Alex (Danielle Hoover) when he moved out some months previously. But all bets are off when Neil unexpectedly turns up seeking a night's shelter, only to discover that Alex has taken up with one of his old chums. Neil's far more egregious infidelities don't even figure in his moral compass as he seizes on the mortgage rights as a weapon to exact punishment. There's complicity on Alex's part as well -- she lets Neil spend the night on the couch not out of compassion, but because she wants the flattering satisfaction of hearing him grovel. Once the door has been opened, Alex and Neil's well-timed verbal punches inexorably devolve into more disturbing physical conflict, staged with unrestrained intensity by Anthony Paul Meindl. Amplifying the tension in supporting roles are Alison Simpson-Smith as Alex's sister, whose veneer of support barely masks her sibling competitiveness, and Jason Radeck, Neil's improbably padded but convincingly self-deprecating overweight toady. The drama's more savage elements superficially lend "Dogs Barking" the raw shock appeal of a trendy class of gritty British imports that include Edward Bond's "Saved" and Mark Ravenhill's "Shopping and ...." Here, however, the characters are atypically better-heeled (at least initially), which proves double-edged. On the plus side,
it lends broader resonance to their descent from a starting point of
conventional caring and respect. The downside is that playwright Zajdlic's
gauzy romanticism (established in opening and closing flashbacks and
never completely dissipated) is an awkward fit with hard-hitting realism,
especially when the play soft-pedals consequences that could, and probably
should, be more dire. |
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February 13, 2003
'Meta Theatre Company'
Makes Auspicious Debut By Sandra Ross Meta Theater Company makes an auspicious debut with the L.A. premiere of British playwright Richard Zajdlic's gripping 1999 drama. The live-together relationship of Neil (Sam Levassar) and Alex (Danielle Hoover) imploded when he cheated on her almost a year prior. He abandoned their shared London flat to pursue the other woman, his boss. Now the bitter, newly unemployed Neil is back at the apartment - and he won't leave. Neither Neil nor Alex can sell the dwelling without the signed permission of the other, and both refuse to budge. While there's more than a hint of a sexual spark between the warring parties (something that Neil tries to exploit), it's clear that they relish verbally tormenting each other. But Neil's casual cruelty is amplified by the presence of Alex's condescending sister, Vicki (Alison Simpson-Smith), and his dim pal Ray (Jason Radeck), with horrifying results. Levassar is extremely charismatic, which makes his brutality all the more shocking. Hoover is both sympathetic and flinty, and the two are believable as former lovers. Despite a few dialect slips, all four actors give superior performances and make Zajdlic's dialogue crackle. Anthony Paul Meindl's direction is taut and focused, with the action hurtling to a bloody conclusion. And while there's dark humor aplenty, the violent denouement is realistically presented and not for the faint-hearted. |
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CRITIC'S PICK March 13, 2003 Dogs Barking
Reviewed By Les Spindle Not since Alan Parker's 1982 film Shoot the Moon can I recall such a harrowing portrait of the messy aftermath of a failed relationship. In Richard Zajdlic's riveting 1999 British play, the shared domicile of two former lovers becomes not only a battleground but also a pawn in a treacherous emotional chess game. The new MetaTheatre Company makes a smashing debut, as director Anthony Paul Meindl and a superlative cast bring out the caustic humor and heart-rending power of Zajdlic's gritty drama. Following a brief prologue depicting happier times, the play cuts right to the chase, as the angry Alex (Danielle Hoover) tromps around her apartment, slamming doors with the fury of Sweeney Todd. What has her so uptight is the unexpected presence of her former live-in boyfriend Neil (Sam Levassar), who spent the night on her sofa following the loss of his job and a bust-up in his rebound relationship. Both characters get satisfaction from pushing each other's buttons, and Neil ups the ante when he points out that he still shares in the apartment lease, limiting Alex's options in moving on and cementing a relationship with her new flame. It soon becomes clear that property habitation is Neil's thinly disguised excuse for not letting go of their volatile love/hate alliance, while Alex is in denial about her similar feelings. Pent-up frustration and jealousy lead to manipulative games--and far worse. Meindl orchestrates
four pitch-perfect performances. Levassar evokes an ideal blend of seductive
charm and narcissistic control, making Alex's attraction to Neil credible.
His coldhearted determination is chilling, yet Zajdlic is less interested
in presenting heroes and villains than in delineating the multiple faces
of fallible humans dealing with love gone wrong. In conveying Alex's
emotional fog, Hoover is deeply empathetic, yet Alex is also very capable
of inflicting hurt, and Hoover excels at portraying this character's
strengths and weaknesses. Alison Simpson-Smith offers brilliant support
as Alex's uppity sister, who can't sort out her own domestic mess yet
always pokes around in the Lindsay Frame has coached the cast in passable dialects that in a few scattered instances are unintelligible. The stark production design is capably rendered, though one wonders why Meindl and lighting designer Josh Levy allow a key climactic scene to be played with Levassar's face in almost total darkness. Quibbles aside, Zajdlic's resonant portrait of kitchen-sink hell is splendidly served in Meindl's shattering and mesmerizing production. |
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ReviewPlays.com
If a couple breaks up after an intense and long relationship, the collateral damage is usually extensive. If children are involved, it could be worse. This story has no children - only a condo co-owned by two people who once were intense in their love and now hate each other intensely. Their condo becomes their nemesis. It becomes the pivotal element that triggers random acts of hatred and even violence, and in the end, it is the least important element in the shattered embers of a relationship. Richard Zajdlic has written what amounts to a journal of a war between the sexes, elevated to the highest emotional level. It takes place in England, but that is meaningless, as it could easily take place in the house next door, whether you live in the upscale Pacific Palisades or in South Central Los Angeles. It could even take place in your house. It is a story of love gone bad, of people at their worst and of displaced pride, ego and feelings. We first see Neil and Alex as tender lovers, vowing their togetherness forever. Then we jump forward and see him trying to force himself back in the flat, having left to be with another woman, but when that fails, he wants to come back. We see Alex, unsure of her feelings, yet deeply hurt and realizing that there is no turning back. Neil needs help moving his things back, so he brings Ray, a friend, who can only be described as a combined Dumb and Dumber in excess. Ray is easily manipulated and not too bright, serving only as a stooge for Neil's underhanded plans. It's evident that Neil does not love Alex as she had thought, but he doesn't want her to be with anyone else either. Some people in the audience find this situation uncomfortably familiar. If words were daggers, these people would kill each other with their lacerations. Hand to hand combat is friendly compared to what they say and do. When Alex's sister, Vicki comes by and finds Neil in the apartment, she has an agenda of her own that also unleashes verbal whiplashes at him, later expanding to her sister, revealing a serious problem in their sibling relationship. Credit the actors Danielle Hoover, Sam Levassar, Jason Radeck, and Alison Simpson-Smith with superb performances that made the characters seem real, honest and in Neil's case, (Levassar) totally hateful. You can't wait to see how he's going to get his due - but alas, author Zajdlic makes this true-to-life tale desperately real, and some in the audience felt he got away too easily. Hate, disdain and vengefulness underscore the savage love these people had before the unfairness of life made its vivid appearance. This mirror is a scary image of how people can become obsessed when dealing with the thin line that separates love from hate. Those who ever had a break-up will understand the characters' feelings. For others, this could be hard-edged primer of things to come. Have your skin seared
with an acetylene torch and you'll have an idea of the raw power this
story elicits. Director Anthony Meindl keeps a taut, compelling pace
that makes this a fascinating eavesdropping of people at their worst. |
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