In Anton Dudley's "Slag Heap," Dave and Ashley, two street prostitutes in Thatcher-era England, ply their wares. He dreams of a glamorous life in London as a callboy or perhaps a musician; she simply wants to make sure she has a bed to sleep in and a supply of vodka tonics. In Dudley's play, the lives of these two "slags," as well as their associates and friends, change tragically. Although it's familiar territory, audiences will be captured by this production's sextet of performers.
Vincent Kartheiser's Dave, trying to stay warm on the street on a cold night when first met, is entirely unremarkable. When he spots a john, though, Kartheiser's eyes light up and a bewitching smile crosses his face. He not only charms the unseen passerby into a quickie, he charms the audience as well. Kartheiser also displays an enormous level of big-brother compassion for Ashley, played by the wide-eyed Polly Lee, who blends the demeanor of a hardened street fighter with the aura of scared girl.
When another slag, tough-as-nails Fran (Brienin Nequa Bryant), convinces Dave to move to London, he abandons Ashley. Before joining him there, Fran must contend with her sister Donna, who has a penchant for just-pubescent boys. Although Janelle Anne Robinson and Alexander Flores are terrific as the sister and one of her conquests, this sidebar to "Heap" almost derails the play.
Dudley, though, returns focus to Dave in London, where cocaine fuels delusions of grandeur that are spurred on by Maggie Moore's arch, faux-French photographer, Natalie, whom he believes will help him launch a singing career.
On Michael Brown's apt stark set, Michael Morris' production modulates well between Dudley's darkly comic scenes and adrenaline-fueled drama. Jeff Croiter's vivid lighting and Bart Fasbender's pulsating score both help to bring the streets on which these characters live to life.