LOS ANGELES TIMES
August 6, 2004
THEATER BEAT
Shel Silverstein was an American original, a puckish beatnik
swinger-songwriter who also created some of the most enduring children's books
of the 1960s and '70s.
His "adult" works appear less enduring, based on the
evidence of "Shel's Shorts," a sampling of startlingly unfunny
playlets being given a modest production at the posh Santa Monica hair salon
Kuttingroom.
These are mostly brief two-character sketches based on simple
contradictions: A couple bicker over annoying habits, service personnel lock
horns with customers, fully armed lovers spar over who'll shoot first. The
writing tends toward repetition and witless profanity.
There are exceptions. "The Lifeboat Is Sinking" spins
out a twisted psychological "exercise" involving a husband (Charlie
Van Erman) and a wife (Jennifer Lamar), deftly satirizing the push-pull of
marital drama. "No Skronking" has whiffs of Ionesco and the evening's
only inspired exchange: When a diner (Jack Maxwell, fine throughout) asks a
waitress (Caroline Westheimer) what "skronking" is, she mutters a
demurral and reiterates a sign's warning: "No skronking." In the
otherwise flimsy "All Cotton," Jen Fitch nails a shop girl's false
sunniness.
Director Pamela Dresser doesn't use the salon playing area with
any effect except in "The Dreamers," a dark dialogue between two
janitors about their transgressive urges, well played by Henry LeBlanc and
Patrick Hancock.
It's great to make an audience collaborate in conjuring a play's
world, sans elaborate design elements. But "Shel's Shorts" is an
imagination drain. We're stuck picturing how these plays might be done better
until we realize they're not worth the effort.
"Shel's Shorts," GuerilLA Theatre at Kuttingroom,
1221 2nd St., Santa Monica. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Ends Aug. 28. $20. (323)
650-2493. Running time: 90 minutes.