Pam Benjamin and Beacon Theater should be commended for bringing a new work to the San Diego Theater scene. Very few theaters are willing to take the risk. That said, the playwright should have done a vast number of rewrites and have the play presented in a couple of reader's theaters. Even with extensive pre-production work, the stage action usually calls for additional rewriting. Dramatist Cuauhtemoc Quetzalcoatl Kish, whose work is inspired by Mitch Albom's highly successful book, film and recent play, Tuesdays with Morrie, takes us into the lives of an overweight fag hag and her flaming queen friend. At two hours running time, Maureen isn't the only one flabby. At 90-minutes, the play could have been trim, more poignant, and funnier.
Skyler Dennon as Quetzal, Maureen's long-lost friend, is a hoot. He flames across the stage as an overly campy gay. Like the book that inspired Fridays with Maureen, Quetzal narrates the tale under a solo spot as the stage dims and the action freezes. His wardrobe is totally in character. He never walks; he prances, he skips, he slithers, he dances. Dennon makes many a mediocre line amusing.
Adrienne Rene has a serious problem. Maureen is not written with the delicate balance that gave Morrie his curmudgeonly charm. In a word, it's very difficult to like her or feel compassion for her, even as she is dying of diabetes. Rene, guided by the words given her, plays her role as a singularly unpleasant person - doing what the script demands quite well.
The story includes Quetzal's and Maureen's love for a Spanish soap opera, Esmeralda. This story within a story is fun. The lead, Esma, is in the capable talents of Allyson L. Collins, who is also the improv coach for the group. The plot of Esmeralda, simply put, is for Esma to find her perfect husband and get laid. She succeeds -- repeatedly! Her numero uno lover, Lecho, is macho-ly played Kayton Tomaszyk. He has more moves that a tango dancer. This highly stylized insert into the plot brings in a sexuality and passion that does not exist in the main story line.
Bridging many of the action scenes are dream sequences (of a sort), which are introduced by a show card presented by a hand dressed in a range of adornments from a boxing glove to a chicken. These segments include some interesting choreography. While amusing, a few could run shorter, giving more impact. Jeff McCue and Lori Gundershaug play a variety of roles in both Esmeralda and in the ensemble numbers.
Pam Benjamin's set is a spectacle of hot colors with a central riser that dominates the set. The show opens with a settee-sized leopard skin platform shoe. Designer Mitchell Simkovsky goes for very showy lighting with hot colors that not only enhance the set but often set the mood.
Director Benjamin has taken on a tough task. Fridays with Maureen may be a diamond in the rough, but it needs the skill of an expert cutter and some tender, loving polishing. I'm looking forward to seeing the work when it's ready to be set in a glittering gold band.
A minor point, but these old eyes had an impossible type reading a program set in six-point type.
