Love, Laughter and Lies
2Co’s Cabaret
Short North
Columbus, Ohio
* * * * 1/2
by Rick Brown

I had my doubts that 2Co’s Cabaret could come up with a show to rival this year’s delightful 2Co’s Got the Blues but, once again, this troupe of talented actors and musicians have proven me wrong. Love, Lies and Laughter opens with a haunting rendition of Tori Amos’ “Silent all these Years”. With Jennifer Hahn singing and pounding the ivories while accompanied only by Stephanie Shull on flute the mood is set hauntingly by the duo’s complex instrumentation…lyrical meandering…all confined in its stark, refreshingly simple presentation.

After the opening monologue by Tom Cardinal, the entire band…with Mr. Cardinal in the forefront…immediately shifts gears with a delightfully ornery, Caribbean influenced version of Paul Simon’s “Late in the Evening”. This is deliciously segued into the regional premier of GW Jr’s My Therapist Bob. Jennifer Hahn (Elaine) and John Croke (Chuck) play intensely neurotic people meeting in a restaurant for a blind date. Much to Elaine’s dismay the two are joined by Chuck’s therapist Bob (Tom Cardinal) who immediately begins counseling them on how to relax and try to enjoy each other’s company. The comedic talents of these three fine actors makes for an uproariously funny first sketch.

After an entertaining but somewhat flat performance of Steely Dan’s “Haitian Divorce”, is the first of two Charles Bukowski pieces for the evening. Joe Lorenzo is mesmerizing in his telling of “Love for the First Whore”. This is a serious monologue enhanced by some stark black and white lighting. Lorenzo’s performance is riveting as he moves from harsh bitterness to conciliation and back again while he walks from darkness to light…and back again. And when Mr. Lorenzo looks into the crowd and asks, “Are you bored” his character becomes both dangerous and terrifying. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the crowd got this monologue. Maybe it was a little too real for them.

Conversely, the audience embraced Dave Barry’s “Baby Hormones Have Taken Over My Wife And All I Can Say is Waah!”. Personally while I enjoy Dave Barry I find his subject matter a bit too glib at times…too mainstream shall we say. Still, Gabe Smith’s off-handed delivery was quite effective in drawing guffaws from a crowd that had obvious experience with pregnancies and couples interaction during them.

Chris Lynch delivers a casual, subtly sarcastic reading of the second Bukowski piece “Hello Barbara”, the tale of a man who gets rip roaring drunk and calls his ex-wife on the phone. Mr. Lynch’s gift of relating a monologue is so good it almost seems second nature…as if he could deliver a Bukowski message while fast asleep. And this night was no exception.

The other two sketches in the second half are brilliant. Pam Callahan and John Croke play newlyweds on a Caribbean honeymoon in Marilyn and David. Ms. Callahan’s Marilyn is a woman maybe 48 hours into her marriage who is already struck with second thoughts, doubts about their love, feelings off confinement. Yet she shifts back and forth on both positive as well as negative fixations. Meanwhile husband David observes her wide mood swings with mostly bemused and confused sleepiness. From their nuptial bed Croke’s husband brilliantly plays off Ms. Callahan’s wildly fluctuating bride in what can only be described as extraordinary silence.

Closing Love, Laughter and Lies is Rich Orloff’s Off the Map; a short play where couple Scott (Tom Cardinal) and Jean (Stephanie Shull) are lost in what we learn later is a metaphorical Antarctica. Jean wanders off looking for a guidepost as Scott meet a Local (Joe Lorenzo). A Local being…in Antarctica of course…a penguin. I’m not sure there are many actors who can scare the life out of people reading a Charles Bukowski monologue and return to the stage moments later to play an effectively poignant penguin. But I know Joe Lorenzo is more than capable. The skit is both childlike in its presentation and wise in its message…all without coming close to the dangers of absurdity or triteness. Orloff’s play works here because of the amazing capabilities of the actors involved under the direction of director James Makofsky.

Musically, bandleader Chris Champa maneuvers Downtown DFN through some difficult cover songs. The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is sung by a determined Joe Lorenzo (who else?), pacing the stage giving a caged animal intensity to the tune. And there is John Croke’s wonderful take on Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine” (complete with solid bass solo by the “Rev” himself), Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” by soul mistress in residence Sheaneen Shelby, Michael “Hacksaw” Duggan’s delightful “The Party” (Harry Connick Jr.) and a wonderfully upbeat ensemble effort on Fishbone’s “Everyday Sunshine”. Ending an awesome night of entertainment is Pam Callahan backed by Lydia Tew being campy and sexy…singing and shaking their respective moneymakers to Me Shell Ndege ‘Ocello’s “If That’s Your Boyfriend”. Whew…I’m worn out just writing about the entire experience!!!!

Love, Laughter and Lies will be performed at 2Co’s Cabaret in Columbus’ Short North until May 21. For more information go to www.shadowboxcabaret.com

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Blank Sight
by John Bennett

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Poetry Corner:
by Ted Kane


ONE FOR THE ROAD

Hunter S. Thompson,
Rest In Peace?
That doesn't seem right;
I'd like to think
he'll shake things up
In the next world
as well

Every day above ground
he cheated death;
who knows, even here
he may have left
the bony bastard feeling
shortchanged.

continued...

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Encyclopedia Selfdestructica
by Cory Tressler

A review of Let It Blurt:
The Life & Times of Lester Bangs, America’s Greatest Rock Critic
By Jim DeRogatis

Ok, so Lester Bangs was a great writer who wrote about rock and roll from the late 1960’s until his death in 1982, but that was about the nicest thing you could say about the guy. He was an ugly drug addict that drowned pills and speed with cough syrup and booze like it was nothing. Bangs wrote all of his best work while high on speed. He rarely slept and hardly ever showered. He lived in his own filth and he somehow couldn’t understand why women wouldn’t stay with him for an extended period of time. In short he was a rock and roll obsessed train wreck.

The Co-Op
by Rick Brown