STEP RIGHT UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
The Midway of a carnival can be a very unnerving place… snake charmers, human oddities, feats of psychic wonderment, right? Well there’s an assortment of bizarre characters gathered on a stage in Ventura this weekend that could rival anything you might encounter on a carnival’s Midway. Theatregoers better hurry, though, because the Rubicon Theatre Company’s FUDDY MEERS only plays through March 31.
A shady guy with a lisp and a limp pops out from underneath a lady’s bed and proceeds to kidnap her. Later, a creepy dude startles everyone at the farmhouse of shady guy with a lisp and a limp’s mother by entering via the kitchen window. This creepy dude maintains a weird attachment to a foul-mouthed puppet named “Binky” (he’s hard to pacify). Throw in a doctor who is not really a doctor and a cop who is not really a cop. Oh…forgot to mention…the mother is a stroke victim and her speech is mangled, but she does know how to wield a knife. Back to the lady who was kidnapped… she’s an amnesiac. Yes, nothing registers as “normal” among these characters and nothing that is politically correct either. This is the world of David Lindsay-Abaire, the playwright of this outrageous comedy.
Precious Chang (“Claire”) operates at the center of this lunacy. She wakes up everyday unaware of events that occurred previously and follows a roadmap supplied by her “husband” that provides details that define her reality. For example, every day she needs to
discover anew the appearance and the location of her slippers. Precious nails the bewilderment and confusion inherent in Claire’s journey rediscovering her life connections.This actor is the hub of all this craziness and she rolls with it.
Joseph Fuqua (“Richard”), Claire’s initial ”husband”, represents the playwright’s best stab at any normalcy, but it doesn’t last for long. As Mr. Fuqua’s performance evolves, before long he enters dodgy territory. In the interim, Claire’s son, Seryozha La Porte (“Kenny”), despises Richard with a passion, yet becomes entangled in his supposed father’s search for the missing mother. The dramatist does manage to supply Mr. LaPorte with some clever dialogue here and there. One of these is still tickling this critic’s underbelly hours after the play ends.
Unfortunately, a certain reserve is demanded here in talking about plot developments and other revelations so that the fun is not stolen from other audiences. Judging from the response of today’s viewers, the hilarity emerges in spurts, and slowly builds until finally blowing the top off the volcano.
Next on the psychiatrist couch is Stephen Caffrey (“Limping Man”). Remember…the audience meets him when he crawls out from beneath Claire’s bed. Subsequently, he declares himself Claire’s actual husband, disputing Richard’s claim. The relationship with his stroke-disabled mother seems to be especially strained. Hmmm. Mr. Caffrey’s antics seem right on target as he struggles to stay true to his pre-arranged story with his cohort (who follows him below with a desperate need for professional analysis).
Louis Lotorto (“Millett w/”Binky”) undertakes the challenge of the joint characterization. His creepiness seems to fade once his defenses are down, but then Binky enters the picture. Mr. Lotorto scores deliciously with his two-faceted portrayal. Just as Sweeney Todd becomes whole when he is reunited with his barber’s razor, so Millett requires that Binky be part of his arm in order to face the uncertainties of his damaged world.
Another amazing performance in this all-star ensemble can be credited to Dee Dee Rescher as the Limping Man’s mother. How does an actor fashion a humorous performance from a character that bears the scars that may often accompany a stroke 
victim’s life going forward? Ask Ms. Rescher who has the audience laughing up a storm.
The final entry in the crazy sweepstakes goes to Tracy A. Leigh who begins her service to the play in full police regalia, then… (Stop with the spoilers, Bill) Ms. Leigh joins the other six members of this crazy ensemble in creating this wacky world, rife with unhinged blemishes, along with transformations certain to generate a good time for any audience.
As for the creative team, Jim Prodger’s set design creates a suitable playground for these actors to engage in their onstage hijinks. Likewise, Mike Billings offers a lighting design that fits right in with the off-the-wall aesthetic. The sound design of Kenny Hobbs impresses as well. Finally, Pamela Shaw’s costumes serve the play just fine.
Jenny Sullivan, the director, has crafted a zany carnival of ridiculous interactions. Coaxing the best efforts from such a talented ensemble of accomplished actors is no small achievement. The comedic timing of these players deserves special mention as well.
On another note, yours truly applauds the disabled access provided at this converted church in Ventura. Now, if only a generous donor could provide funds for installation of a lift so those same disabled patrons can access a restroom.
David Lindsay-Abaire’s strange play, FUDDY MEERS, invades the deepest reservoirs of our mind with reflections on life’s complexities. Claire experiences a day in her life which defies easy description. Maybe she should just go to sleep rather than confront the realities of her unusually demented circumstances.
pc: Jeanne Tanner
