Only time can tell definitively if a play effectively captured a generation--or at least a specific segment of the population. Now 20 years removed from its debut, this David Rabe script has become widely accepted as an enduring work depicting the hollow, self-absorbed, nihilistic world that exploded in the 1980s with the "Me Generation." And perhaps nowhere was society more reflective of these attitudes than in Hollywood, the backdrop for Rabe's powerhouse story. Much like Mamet's writing, Rabe's dialogue, with its highly mannered, fast-paced repetition and use of meaningless words, can fail spectacularly in the hands of the wrong actors. Fortunately director Brent Hinkley has expertly guided a strong cast--led by Silas Weir Mitchell in one of most exciting performances seen on L.A. stages in months--to a faithful recreation of Rabe's tale of loneliness and self-hatred.
Though Hurlyburly deals with thought-provoking issues and includes a healthy portion of sharp cynical humor, it's not a play for anyone who desires escapist fun. The two-and-a-half-hour story takes place in the home of Eddie (Mitchell) and Mickey (Darin Cooper), mid-level movie casting agents. Eddie, a cocaine-snorting, pot-smoking alcoholic, enjoys scrutinizing the semantics of all conversations, as well as belittling friends to make himself feel better. While Eddie is just holding on to sanity, Mickey is cold and unflappable. He survives by not caring. Their house is a hangout for several friends, most often the violent bit actor Phil (Michael Faella, who is effective as the scary, out-of-control monster of a man). There is Donna, a homeless, obliviously optimistic teen (Dawn Worrall); scriptwriter Artie (Benjamin Byron Davis); Eddie's girlfriend Darlene (Allison Gammon); and stripper Bonnie (Kara Keeley).
The entire cast clearly "gets" the tone and cadence of Rabe's challenging script, creating realistic conversation out of lines that frequently include utterances of "like," "you know" and "blah, blah." But it is Mitchell's mesmerizing turn as Eddie (not dissimilar in many respects to Sean Penn's portrayal in the movie version) that dominates the production. Mitchell maintains a sense of believability as the over-the-top Eddie. He is frantic, often staggering around the stage, and nearly slurring his rants, all without ever becoming a caricature.
Hinkley keeps the pace manic, which allows the audience to better comprehend the insanity that Eddie and others are experiencing. Sibyl Wickersheimer's set has an appropriately 1980s feel, and there are enough open spaces and levels for the action to roam freely. Hurlyburly, when performed properly, exudes a sense of despair that some might not want to pay to experience. But Rabe's script remains compelling two decades after it was written, and productions such as this will continue to signal it as an important work.