In the program for “City of Angels,” director Wil Kilroy says it best: “I’ve wanted to bring the show to USM, knowing what a challenge it would be. Our cast and crew have dedicated themselves and their creativity to making the story come alive for you.”
The production is clearly a labor of love.
There wasn’t a single member of the cast who seemed less than 100 percent dedicated during either the dress rehearsal I saw on Thursday or the opening night performance in front of a full house the following night.
That said, “City of Angels” is a huge undertaking; it stretches the resources of a college cast, possibly well beyond their limit.
The production’s sincerity makes it worth watching. Slaney Jordan is compelling as Stein’s damaged wife, Gabby. Imbuing her character with a throaty indignation, she seems poised for a role in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”
Likewise, Matthew Withee is pitch-perfect as the mustachioed, fascistic director/producer Buddy Fidler.
He emanates an effortless, sleazy charm in a role that could easily be reduced to ham-fisted caricature.
Roger Marcotte plays Stein as a perpetually bemused workaholic, which works well enough, but doesn’t quite account for the fact that his character is, like his detective alter ego, something of a womanizer: he doesn’t seem to have it in him.
Similarly, there is a degree of raw sexuality missing from Erol Ileri’s portrayal of Detective Stone.
Though he looks the part, he gets caught up in the physicality of his role and sacrifices a degree of charisma in the process.
Greer Vashon is incredibly natural and sympathetic in her “real life” role as Carla Haywood.
Her scene with Marcotte in Buddy Fidler’s office features the best onstage chemistry in the whole play; the audience really believes that despite her status as a bed-hopping, opportunistic starlet, she has read and enjoyed Stein’s books.
However, this natural likeability may cause her to fall a bit flat as Alaura Kingsley, Haywood’s black widow alter-ego: she lacks the teeth to chew the necessary amount of scenery.
The supporting cast is adequate, though a few members occasionally fall prey to the temptation to mug a little bit.
The only real problem with the production seems to be an (almost) across the board struggle with projection. The cast members have good voices, but Withee was the only one whom I didn’t catch swallowing at least one line.
The acoustics in the theater are difficult, and the band is located immediately backstage, so the actors are at a disadvantage in this regard. They seem conscious of it, which may add to the difficulty.
All things considered, “City of Angels” is a dangerous text. The complexity of the story notwithstanding, many of these actors are playing characters that fall well outside of their everyday frame of reference: many are playing far above their age bracket, possibly even against type.
The play successfully challenges everyone involved, and entertains the audience in the process. It is exactly the kind of work that a college drama program should be engaged in.