Photo Source: Carol Rosegg
This isn't to say the play is good or bad. It's both, in fact. On one hand, it's a slyly subversive comedy about America's need to both indulge in and restrict access to pleasure. On the other, it's a creaky contraption full of hammy acting, trite dialogue, and awkward staging. This odd duality permeates the entire enterprise. For example, director Jerry Douglas and his designers have given the play the look of a '70s skin flick, which I find funny but which others might see as cheap. I can't tell if the play is aware of its amateurishness and deliberately means to subvert our expectations or if it's simply cheesy theater populated by lots of naked bodies. One thing is undeniable, however: playwright David Bertolino's message of tolerance, a powerful argument for taking the play seriously.
The plot concerns the creation of the 1972 pornographic movie "Deep Throat." Harry Reems, the film's male lead, serves as narrator. With the Watergate scandal ever present in the background, the play follows the former Marine's immersion in the porn industry. He is hired by Gerard Damiano, a Queens hairdresser who considers himself an auteur of erotic moviemaking, to star in the film with Linda Lovelace, a haunted woman in thrall to a violent husband. Thanks to Lovelace's particular physical talent, "Deep Throat" attracts the attention of Larry Parrish, a Tennessee prosecutor who puts Reems and the movie's distributors on trial for obscenity. The case takes on national significance before Reems, with the aid of superstar attorney Alan Dershowitz, is finally acquitted.
As Reems, Malcolm Madera is likable and charismatic enough to hold the play together. Lori Gardner turns in a splendid performance as Lovelace. Despite frequent appearances in the nude, Gardner primarily commands our attention with her expressive eyes. Rita Rehn is funny and brave in a number of roles; John-Charles Kelly is a lovable Damiano; and Frank Blocker as Parrish delivers a closing argument that is the dirtiest speech you'll hear in a theater this year.
Although those who would control our minds and hearts seem to be in ascendancy once again, "The Deep Throat Sex Scandal" reminds us that the battle against repression is worthwhile and winnable. "Free is a good word," says Reems before sending us out of the theater. I'm with him.
Presented by When Harry Met Linda in association with Cory J. Bannister, Carl Benevides, Carl Bertolino, Linda Bertolino, Steven Carlino, Joseph Casalino, Christopher Neeb, Cheryl S. Weisman, and Steven W. Weisman at the Bleecker Street Theatre, 45 Bleecker St., NYC. Opened Oct. 10 for an open run. Tue.–Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat.–Sun., 7:30 and 11 p.m.; Sun., 7:30 p.m. (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7200, or www.telecharge.com. Casting by Moss Kale Anastasi.