Danny, the belligerent protagonist in this emotionally charged John Patrick Shanley drama, is a tormented soul. Living on society's fringe, he's an antisocial outcast with deep psychological wounds and a gigantic chip on his shoulder. At the end of his emotional tether, Danny is a powder keg just waiting to be lit. And the explosion, when it comes, is fierce and compelling. When Danny meets Roberta—another outsider with disturbing secrets—at a dingy bar, the sparks immediately fly. Soon they are at each other's throats, probing each other's scars and testing their fragile limits.
The way Shanley spins his tale, these two are verbal pugilists, trading punches with their cutting remarks. Roberta digs at Danny's hostile disposition; Danny draws out Roberta's secrets with taunting aggression. Despite their gritty talk, however, the characters also display an underlying tenderness, especially when they reach a sort of détente and end up sharing a rough but passionate night at Roberta's apartment. There, with their steely barriers down, they reach a new level of exposure. At that point, Shanley's language also shifts, moving from coarse profanity to a cautious sensitivity. As his two misfit characters begin to forge a delicate bond, this abrasive play reveals itself as a poignant, if unconventional, romance.
In this dauntless production, director Deidre Schoo and performers Mark Palkoner and Andrea Troilo ably capture both the passion and brutality of Shanley's characters and their desolate lives. Here, Shanley's language is both searing and moving. And, as staged by Schoo, the physicality of this interpretation is a volatile spectacle. As they volley their characters' piercing words, Palkoner and Troilo engage in a war of body language that's a mixture of defiance, anguish, and awkward helplessness.
Playing his role with a combination of anger and distress, Palkoner impressively creates a protagonist who is both reprehensible and pitiably desperate. Although his explosive rage is repulsive, his raw insecurity is touching. At one point, when Danny explains that his inner turmoil is such that it hurts even to breathe, Palkoner's convincing emotion turns Danny's pain into a tangible substance. And later, when Roberta breaks Danny's hard shell, Palkoner is boyishly winsome as he portrays Danny's bashfulness and budding affection.
Less well cast as bitter Roberta, Troilo is a bit too refined and fresh-faced for a woman born to a hard life. Nevertheless, she hammers home a tough portrayal that strikes sparks off Palkoner's Danny. Her shining moments appear near the end, when Danny and Roberta hesitatingly lay the foundation of a relationship. Here, her more refined nature lends a soft vulnerability to the burgeoning trust that slowly evolves between this troubled, slow-healing couple.
"Danny and the Deep Blue Sea," presented by and at the Hunger Artists Theatre Company, 204 E. 4th St., Ste. 1, Santa Ana. Fri.-Sat. 8:30 p.m., Sun. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3-26. $10-12. (714) 547-9100.