 Drew Droege and Chris Tarantino in Red Scare On Sunset. WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
Drama Desk Award winning playwright Charles Busch sets his farce in the 50’s era of the Red Menace, when suspect actors cowered and reviled snitches spilled their guts to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Fodder for serious drama, nevertheless Busch piles on the laughs via double entendres, triple entendres, noir-spoofing hi-jinx and who’s-doing-whom infidelity while we incongruously question all things capitalist and communist.
Sorta.
Mostly, it’s about the laughs, the glaring stereotypes of a bygone era and the foibles and quirks of actors and their ilk, magnified one thousand times and served up live before the Attic Theatre patrons and the radio show audience of one Pat Pilford, stalwart of all things great here in the U.S. of A.
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When the red menace permeates her popular broadcast, we feel for this patriot, especially now that communism has been once again largely discredited as a route to despotic governance.
 Drew Droege and Michelle Begley in Red Scare On Sunset. WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
As Pilford, Michelle Begley plays the humor large and in your face. It’s pitch perfect, as is the spot-on performance of Chris Tarantino as Frank Taggart.
Tarantino makes a most appealing 40’s era lead watching the fifties swirl around him and overrun his glamorous persona.
Tall and elegant, Taggart is that odd combination of mannish fop, if there is indeed such a thing. Another role in Tarantino’s ongoing quest to, as his bio says, “build his characters around every possible permutation of facial hair,” his Taggart is truly sublime.
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Our diva Mary Dale is well played in that great flourish style of drag performers through the ages, and Drew Droege’s role as Mary is a hoot.
 Chris Tarantino and Dane Whitlock in Red Scare On Sunset. WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
Given the best lines, adding a vogue pose as accent after each witty barb, Droege gives the show that extra ooompf! that keeps us waiting, waiting for more.
Also of special note is the closeted character Malcolm, one of three roles by Dane Whitlock. The humor of his Malcolm role is infused with a sympathy expressed with great feeling and remorse. The rest of the cast perform ably.
A small theatre, The Attic is just the right size for an intimate production like this, although the show is certainly strong enough- and deserves- a bigger venue.
Under the direction of Cindy Gendrich, Red Scare On Sunset moves along at a brisk-albeit occasionally uneven-pace.
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There’s a lot happening here, and one would not be surprised to actually see a kitchen sink traipse across the footlights.
 A scene from Red Scare On Sunset. Photo by WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
A major scene with the lead characters in masks, a drug induced hallucination is, while fun, not quite worked out.
Meanwhile, the running gags on the Russian influenced school of (gasp) "method acting" are one of the show’s true highlights, well conceived and acted.
Kudos on a fun night at the theatre, filled with yucks and groans and even a little sexy edge.
Filled with insider jokes and broad comedy, Red Scare On Sunset is well worth a trip back to the fading Golden Age of Hollywood.
Red Scare On Sunset by Charles Busch
Through October 18th
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The Attic Theatre & Film Center, 5429 W. Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles (Between Hauser & Fairfax), 323.525.0600 ext. 2# www.attictheatre.org/tickets
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