FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
| THEATRE Parallel Lives Written by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy (of Veronica's Closet fame), Parallel Lives is a cartoon-like parody of all the quirks in our relationships with ourselves, God, friends, lovers and siblings. Thanks to good writing and the comic talents of Yvette Dudley and Jenny Miller, about half of the character sketches come to life. Unfortunately, the rest of the show consists of skits that simply dilute the effect. The show opens with a scene in which two celestial beings sit down with a notepad to plan the human race. After one of them comes up with "that great sex idea," they decide to grant women the ability to give birth. In order to ensure that the men aren't too jealous about it, however, they endow them with enormous egos. What follows is a whimsical series of sketches that examine the results of that cosmic experiment. Together, Dudley and Miller portray the more than 20 characters - from cowboys and Christians to newly converted feminists. Inspired at moments, Parallel Lives is uneven and long, with whole segments that belabor the point and stretch out the joke long after it's stopped being funny. When the drunken cowboy Hank sets his sights on Karen Sue, we must agonize while he slurs for the 15th time that she "looks very purty tonight" and tries (again!) to get her to eat the suspicious-looking chili. In another skit, Annette and Gina baffle us with a long, incoherent reference to West Side Story made yet more baffling by the fact that Dudley is constantly mixing up Anita and Maria. On the other hand, the high points in the play are funny enough to elicit a few really good belly laughs. "Period Piece" takes a hypothetical glance at how differently menstruation would be constructed if it were a masculine experience. Lobbing 'pons at each other in a spontaneous game of football, Dudley and Miller brag about their periods and make boastful reference to (what else?) how big they are. In "Futon Talk," the actors expose all those cutesy, embarrassing things that couples do, from spoon-cuddling to ridiculous nicknaming. This is one skit that really tells it like it is. Tucked in bed; Dudley and Miller yank the blankets back and forth, toss and turn, dwell on their insecurities, and drag out "ancient history" like fresh armaments. In fact, well performed and effectively staged, all Parallel Lives really needs is a good edit. |