In forging an artistic identity, the year-old Chautauqua Theatre Alliance has generally emphasized fare that's a cut above sitcoms (Imitating Sam, Reunion, Gangster Planet)—slightly edgy but rather soft in the center. This new play fits the mold: It seems less feminist-oriented than much of playwright Theresa Rebeck's other works, owing more than a smidgen of its inspiration to Yasmina Reza's superior play Art. Rebeck's musing on art snobbery, class snobbery, dysfunctional human bonds, and how they all intertwine is engaging, though it feels less biting than intended. Director Dave P. Moore helms a generally creditable rendition.
Moore's cast maximizes the humor and thoughtful reflections evident in the script, except in one important case. In the focal role of caterer Jenny, who's struggling to support herself and her temperamental starving-artiste father, Deborah Puette is too reined-in, underplaying the character of the dutiful, loving daughter to a fault. In the first scene, she accepts the humiliating condescension of her clients more apathetically than stoically, and she remains on that low-key mode throughout the first act. She finally shows spunk in the climactic scenes, but by and large she misses the tempest of emotion brewing within her character's slowly simmering teapot. Lacking variety and conviction, her performance adds to the sense of punch-pulling that dilutes Rebeck's overall approach.
Other performances hit their marks. As Jenny's eccentric bohemian father Kidman, John SanderFord expands the cliché of the mad artist, bringing some welcome moments of depth to the proceedings, as we learn how this man's crippling insecurity—particularly his devastation over scathing reviews—caused him to neglect his family and retreat into obscurity. Justine Reiss excels as Lillian, the self-serving gallery owner who decides to ride on Kidman's coattails when she discovers that his work is commercial. She's the female equivalent of one of the shark-ish salesmen in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, and Reiss does a bang-up job of conveying her surface-sweet slickness. As Lillian's fiancé, Eugene, torn between family loyalty and a sense of decency, Jason Waters nicely balances the conflicts between the selfish upper crust and the noble poor. Rachel Winfree generates solid laughs as Eugene's rich-bitch mother, proof positive that all the money in the world can't buy sophistication. James Geralden scores strongly as Kidman's financially strapped neighbor, and Harris Mann is credible and forceful as Kidman's embittered estranged son. Linus David Cate and especially R. J. Jones lend effective support in dual roles.
Matthew Scarpino's striking set, with its marvelous expressionistic details, sets the perfect tone, and David Miller's lighting and sound effects also enhance the milieu. Though Rebeck's episodic piece would benefit from sharper focus in storytelling and theme, it has its virtues, as does Moore's intelligent interpretation.
"Abstract Expression," presented by Chautauqua Theatre Alliance at the Egyptian Arena Theatre, 1625 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. Jan. 11-Feb. 16. $10-15. (323) 960-8865.