The abduction and sale of children in the sex-slave market is an issue that seems to have captured the attention of dramatists, with at least three films on the subject currently in release. Playwright Chad Beckim uses that theme as a catalyst for the convergence of two dysfunctional couples living in a squalid New York tenement. The play, which was first produced Off-Broadway last year, builds with genuine tension but reaches a gory climax that is arbitrary and strains credulity.
Cab driver Harry (Darin Singleton) takes care of his wife, Lil (Marie Wong), a woman verging on agoraphobia and pining for the child she lost. Their neighbor Roachie (Hector Hank) is a petty hoodlum and runner for landlord Donovan (Stephen Eshenbaugh), a pusher and a pimp. After a deal gone awry, Roachie has to repay his debt to Donovan by babysitting a 4-year-old Indonesian girl, stolen in the wake of the 2004 tsunami (hence the title) and slated for sale into sexual slavery. Lil overhears a discussion of the plans and enlists Roachie's wife, Keesha (A誰ssatou Diallo), in a scheme to prevent the crime, setting off a catastrophic chain of events.
This production serves the material with admirable commitment. Danny Cistone's detailed set, which is cleverly designed to represent both flats, creates an atmosphere of seediness and hopelessness. Director Scott Werve maneuvers his actors skillfully through the overlapping living room and makes effective use of the claustrophobic space.
Eshenbaugh, as the gangster landlord, gives a vivid performance that is particularly menacing as his calm veneer barely masks a murderous rage, while Hank is very much in the moment as his childish, inept errand boy.
Singleton is effective at conveying the cabby's desperation, but he has a tendency to let his work get too small and inward. The same is true of Wong, who leans too heavily on an ethereal quality in an effort to appear unbalanced. Diallo's performance is vibrant and complex, but in her quieter beats she is almost inaudible.
Beckim has created a situation loaded with potential for meaningful drama, which goes unrealized because he propels his characters to actions that are unmotivated and unconvincing.
Presented by Range View Productions at the Hayworth Theatre,
2511 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.
Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. Oct. 20-Nov. 17.
(323) 960-7788. www.thehayworth.com.