Lascivious Something
Written by Sheila Callaghan
Directed by Ronan Marra
Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice (map)
thru June 8 | tickets: $15-$20 | more info
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A tense, tangled love triangle that doesn’t untie itself
Signal Ensemble Theatre presents
Lascivious Something
Review by Anuja Vaidya
Lascivious Something is centered on a tension-filled love triangle and explores a number of different themes, including – but not limited to – love, lust, losing oneself and life-altering secrets. The show’s opening promises a night of great performances and a tightly written plot filled with twists and turns. While it delivers in terms of a skilled cast and twists, the lack of clarity as the plot unfolds results in a less-than-satisfying experience.
The strongest aspect of the show is undoubtedly the performances. The women, in particular, shine. Simone Roos, as the beautiful and effortlessly manipulative Daphne, is thoroughly convincing. You almost believe that Daphne is an innocent bystander, watching her husband and his ex-lover relive old memories, but you quickly find out that she is far from innocent. Georgann Charuhas is the troubled Liza and gives a truly evocative performance. Her disappointment at seeing that August is not the man she once knew is palpable.
It is the plot, however, that feels like a letdown. As mentioned before, the opening sets up the love triangle with just the right amount of drama and mystery to suck you in. You aren’t quite sure how things will play out. About mid-way through the play, you still aren’t sure. Instead of things getting clearer as the play goes on, it gets more mysterious, to the point of becoming just plain confusing. The motives of the characters are blurry throughout, and while this is intriguing at first, it gets frustrating as the show goes on. The final, and rather explosive, twist at the end comes out of nowhere. This adds to the overall sense of confusion because it completely changes one of the character’s intentions and makes one wonder why they didn’t see even the slightest foreshadowing of it during the play. It is a curveball, but it doesn’t feel as though the script was crafted to lead you to that revealing moment.
For some terrific performances, and a lesson in maintaining tension on stage, I would certainly recommend this show. Lascivious Something gives us some truly captivating moments, but the confusing way that "nothing is quite as it seems" is played out stays with you well after the curtain call, making for an exasperating end to what begins as an extremely promising production.
Rating: ★★½
Lascivious Something continues through June 8th at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $15-$20, and are available through Vendini.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More info at SignalEnsemble.com. (Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Johnny Knight
artists
cast
Georgann Charuhas (Liza), Simone Roos (Daphne), Joe McCauley (August), Cassidy Shea Stirtz (Boy)
behind the scenes
Ronan Marra (director, artistic director), Michelle Roth (stage manager), Buck Blue (set design), Elsa Hiltner (costume design), Julie Ballard (lighting design), Anthony Ingram (sound design), Mary O’Dowd (props design), Elise Kauzlaric (dialect coach), Johnny Knight (photos)
13-0510
