at the Edison Theatre
Many successful dramas have fantasized life after death, but Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's intimate, surreal love story tackles it differently. Neither dead nor alive, his characters are caught in limbo, between worlds, in life-threatening comas. While their physical bodies lie below in the hospital, their spirits are waiting for efficient Dr. S (Shaunté Caraballo) to call their names and direct them to the elevator. If the elevator goes down, they will live; if it goes up, their bodies have died.
Under the direction of Sha Newman, all the existential angst, moral outrage, human fear, and philosophizing take place on David Jacques stunning minimal set under Leroy Meadows' romantic light design. The excellent ensemble (costumed in white by Joy Dean-Barbone) represents a cross-section of society and points of view. Two charming angels (Mark Piatelli and Kree Fieldsa) waltz silently around the stage. Richard Holden is perfect as an uptight, right-wing CEO who was run over by a motorcycle; wanted for tax evasion and inside trading, the CEO lies helpless in the hospital while his son sells half his portfolio. The captivating Marjo-Riikka Makela plays an uneducated, streetwise domestic who keels over from a heart attack. Gary Grossman supplies comic relief as the well-meaning, hard-working schlemiel who clowns his way through life. Into this motley group comes Colin (sensitively portrayed by Gavin Hawk), a cynic who has lost faith in everything. One night he drinks too much and plows his car into a tree. Was it suicide? Sarah Goldblatt is lovely as Laura, a woman wheelchair-bound since childhood, whose only release has been drifting in and out of comas where she dances in her dreams. Like magic, Colin and Laura fall in love. She gives meaning to his life; he gives her passion for the moment, with the realization that now may be all there is. Then something miraculous happens and the enigmatic dance of life continues.
Presented by Cal Rep at the Edison Theatre, 213 E. Broadway, Long Beach. Tue.-Thu. 7 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m. (Also Sat. 2 p.m. Dec. 10. Dark Nov. 22-26.) Nov. 11-Dec. 10. (562) 985-5526.
Reviewed by Shirle Gottlieb