'TRESTLE' COLLAPSES UNDER ITS OWN GOTHIC WEIGHT.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic A ``GENIUS GRANT'' is a terrible thing to waste. No, Kentucky-born poet and playwright Naomi Wallace - the recipient of a MacArthur fellowship in 1999 - is not squandering squan·der tr.v. squan·dered, squan·der·ing, squan·ders 1. To spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate. See Synonyms at waste. 2. her talent anymore than the Syzygy syzygy (sĭz`əjē), in astronomy, alignment of three bodies of the solar system along a straight or nearly straight line. A planet is in syzygy with the earth and sun when it is in opposition or conjunction, i.e. Theatre Company is wasting its time in tackling a Wallace work. Well, maybe they're wasting it a little bit ... There's a certain amount of lyricism lyr·i·cism n. 1. a. The character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts. b. The quality or state of being melodious; melodiousness. 2. in Wallace's ``The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek,'' but Martin Bedoian's production at the Stella Adler Theatre exposes every portentous por·ten·tous adj. 1. Of the nature of or constituting a portent; foreboding: "The present aspect of society is portentous of great change" Edward Bellamy. 2. , overblown syllable. We're in Southern Gothic territory here, where kids are facing sexual awakening and their parents are all but catatonic (jargon) catatonic - A description of a system that gives no indication that it is still working. This might be because it has crashed without being able to give any error message or because it is busy but not designed to give any feedback. Compare buzz. . Sam Shepard traverses this same territory with a greater sense of absurdity, and more powerfully. The year is 1936 and 18-year-old Pace Creagan, a wild child who everyone insists is ``not good looking'' (even though Heather Fox, the actress playing her, is anything but), has dared 16-year-old Dalton Chance (Damien Midkiff) to engage in a potentially lethal game of chicken with a train at the Pope Lick Creek trestle. Other youngsters have met with a bad end while engaging in said activity. Pace isn't worried about catastrophe. Dalton certainly is. Hopping around in time, we find that Dalton has ended up in jail where he's being worshipped/tortured by a most unusual guard, Chas Weaver (Finn Curtin). The interactions between Dalton and Chas are as surrealistically bizarre as the interplay between Dalton's parents (Jennifer Pennington and William Salyers). The father's been laid off from the foundry and now contents himself by standing in front of a candle and making shadow puppets. Husband and wife seem to communicate most effectively when they're tossing a dinner plate back and forth (hey, whatever works!). As Dalton, the blondish, ashy ash·y adj. ash·i·er, ash·i·est 1. Of, relating to, or covered with ashes. 2. Having the color of ashes; pale. ash Midkiff is a believable man-child, poised on the brink of initiation. Fox's Pace adds a bullying spirit to her coltish colt·ish adj. 1. Relating to or suggestive of a colt. 2. Lively and playful; frisky. colt  ish·ly adv. charm. They're an unusual pair, but here's betting Pope Lick Creek has seen a lot stranger couplings. ``The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek,'' by the way, was the first of two consecutive plays I saw where the shattering of dishes seemed to play a major part in the plotting (`'The Nerd'' at Burbank's Colony Theatre Company was the other). If this is a trend, let L.A.'s thrift store owners rejoice. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com THE TRESTLE AT POPE LICK CREEK - Two and one half stars Where: Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Floor, Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; to June 29. Tickets: $15. Call (323) 254-9328. In a nutshell: Wherefore For which reason. The term wherefore is frequently used in an averment (a positive statement of fact set out in the pleadings that must be filed with a court by the parties to a legal action)—for example, "wherefore the defendant says that such contract art thou, Sam Shepard? |
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