by Eric Czuleger
Lankershim Arts Center
(5108 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood 91601)
A production of the Coeurage Theatre Company
Date of reviewed performance: February 11, 2010
Cast
Julianne James
Aimee Karlin
Kirsten Kuiken
Selin Mehrabian
Nicole Monet
Sammi Smith
Artwork from www.coeuragetheatre.com
The Coeurage Theatre Company is a young ensemble currently calling the NoHo Arts District home. I love NoHo and the eclectic mix of people the place attracts and the fact that there's a theatre (or two!) shoved into every nook that can hold a couple of chairs. This particular production receives support from fellow NoHo dwellers the Road Theatre and is occupying their space at the Lankershim Arts Center during this run. It's a great facility and one of the most comfortable experiences you'll have when it comes to L.A. regional theatre. The drawback with the shared space scenario is that it's apparent that the set behind the Coeurage players is obviously meant for the Road Theatre's current production of Sidhe. While it's a very lovely set, its lack of relevance to the play that's happening in front of it can be a bit distracting. Alas, this can't be helped -so it's best to pretend it isn't there at all.
Head Over Heels is a collection of (mostly) monologues written by Coeurage's resident playwright Eric Czuleger. With a few notable exceptions (like Eve..."yeah, that Eve"), the characters are women who live in Los Angeles. Thankfully, Czuleger stays away from musing on the Team Aniston/Team Jolie notion of LA femininity that rules the media. Instead, he sticks with Angelinas you will know: the material girl, the recovering girl, the career girl, the lonely girl, the rejected girl, the girl out of her league. Without question, you will recognize at least one of them as your friend, your sister or your coworker.
Impressively, the entire show consists of solid performances. Selin Mehrabian's portrayal of a lovelorn medical student in the second act's "Love Letter 2" and later a tortured swordsman in "When You're on the Rack..." are both very impressive. Kirsten Kuiken, who also directed, closes the show with insights into the first few days of creation. As the only character to return to the stage with multiple monologues, Ms. Kuiken's "Eve" is mesmerizing to watch. Interestingly, what Eve has to say about herself and life is in such a different gear than the rest of these monologues, it feels as though Mr. Czuleger likely has an entire Eve-based play in the works and the bits we see here are merely being test-run. At least I hope that's the case, because I'm fascinated with what he's done with Eve (and Adam) as a character and would love to see that explored further. Also notable is Aimee Karlin in "Love Letter 3," a monologue that has the feel of reading your little sister's junior high diary; it is sweet and poignant and the difference in this character from the ones Karlin portrays earlier in the show makes it even more stunning.
Overall, this is a very strong cast - one of the most talented ensembles I've seen in Los Angeles theatre, so I'm excited to see what they have in store for the future. While there are few surprises in the narratives of these monologues, there are several moments of truth and even more moments of humor that will entertain patrons of all sorts. I encourage you to check out the show for yourself; you may even find yourself staring back at you.
Head Over Heels runs through February 28th with performances on Thursdays (8:00pm), Saturdays (2:00pm) and Sundays (7:00pm). Admission is by donation at the door. Seats may also be reserved by calling 1-800-838-3006 or visiting http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/97682.
Directed by Kirsten Kuiken
Sound Design by Joe Calarco
Lighting Coordinator: Christie Wright Gilmore
Dialect Coach: Peter Weidnam
