Like a building, a play can only be as strong as its foundations, and a tower built upon sand simply cannot stand, which becomes a problem for emerging company, Theatre En Bloc. Their latest show, American Bear, is problematic from its very foundation. The script of American Bear is a bit of a mess, plodding along with very little of interest happening to or for the characters, failing to raise the stakes for any of the characters. There are long stretches of the play in which we see little more than a medley of people sleeping, watching TV, or listening to music, without any real forward momentum in the story. When the play does try to make a point or say something meaningful, it does so in the most basic and blatant way possible, killing any sense of subtlety it could have garnered. Add to this the fact that the play simply does not know when to end and overstays its welcome by a good fifteen minutes, and you see even in the most professional hands the play would have been a hard row to hoe.
Jenny Lavery, who plays the female lead in the play, is one of those actresses we always hope to see more of, and here she throws herself into the role of Lonnie with aplomb. The problem is, she simply can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. Much of the play she is left with nothing to do but sit on a couch and rest, which doesn’t make for the most lively theatre. There are moments where she is a delight to watch, but these are usually drowned out by the heavy melodrama or ennui that so permeates the play. Though she tries her best to find the heart within Lonnie, the playwright presents very little for us to sympathize with.
Derek Kolluri is also an actor Austin sees too little of, and it's a shame, because he brings a Giamatti-esque neurotic intensity to every role he takes, giving him a dynamic edge of many other actors in town. When he first appears as the slovenly, shambling younger brother Jules, it's a wonder to behold, as everything down to his simplest movement seems to have been born from the character. He transforms himself into the character, so it's all the more a pity that character could not be more interesting. Jules may indeed be one of the most interesting characters in the play, offering more dimensions that the other two, but even he is given little breathing room, being pushed into a cliché catalyst for an “shocking” revelation we see coming from a mile away. Derek's brother Deven Kolluri is perhaps the weak link in the acting chain, not seeming to commit fully to his performance and likewise keeping the audience at arm's length from any real emotional involvement that might be gleamed from the role, though the script gives him very little latitude with which to play.
It obvious that the hearts of the actors in American Bear were securely in the right place, and they give their all to the performance, but the script does them no favors. The group shows talent, and we can probably look for good things from them in their future, but here they just aren't able to rise above the bad material to make something worthwhile. However, it is always nice to see a fresh company making its way to the Austin theatre scene, and we can hope for some amazing shows in the future.
I always say it's a good idea to form your own opinions about these shows, so why not go see the show for yourself? It's running until December 17th at the Hideout Theatre, so be sure to go and get your tickets today.
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