'THE WHOLE BANANA' GETS ONLY SLIGHTLY MUSHY.Byline: Julio Martinez Correspondent ACTRESS Deb Norton has written a dynamite performance vehicle for herself. In ``The Whole Banana'' at West Hollywood's Court Theatre, playwright/star Norton imbues the play's life-blocked heroine, Fran, with a captivating cap·ti·vate tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates 1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. 2. Archaic To capture. amalgam of vulnerability, vitality and humor. She is ably bolstered by an impressive supporting cast and the fluid, empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em  pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. staging of Kim Maxwell-Brown. It is unfortunate the play suffers from a meandering, inconclusive ending, undermining an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable first effort by a promising playwright. The action is set in the minuscule Manhattan apartment of a woefully woe·ful also wo·ful adj. 1. Affected by or full of woe; mournful. 2. Causing or involving woe. 3. Deplorably bad or wretched: dysfunctional artist. Fran is debilitated de·bil·i·tat·ed adj. Showing impairment of energy or strength; enfeebled. See Synonyms at weak. Adj. 1. debilitated - lacking strength or vigor asthenic, enervated, adynamic by a decade-long bout of artist's block. She is also suffering from separation anxiety from her recently dumped boyfriend and is one desperate cigarette puff away from blowing her membership in Nicotine Anonymous. Fran is so emotionally crippled, she can't even shop for food. Her state of mind is not helped by the uninvited visits of philandering ex-beau Phil (Chris Nottoli), who would like to get her back into bed, or the over-zealous antics of fellow artist friend Georgia (Nealla Gordon), who keeps fixing Fran up with dead-end blind dates. In a tour de force performance by Norton, Fran's nonplussed non·plus tr.v. non·plused also non·plussed, non·plus·ing also non·plus·sing, non·plus·es also non·plus·ses To put at a loss as to what to think, say, or do; bewilder. n. acceptance of these absurdities in her life is hilarious. For the most part, particularly in the first act, Norton's dialogue is crisp and zestfully original. She manages to imprint the essence of each character with an economy of dialogue and action. However, she runs into thematic problems when Fran calls upon a ``higher power'' to help her out of her woes. Since religiously impoverished Fran has no particular deity in mind, she ends up with the rambunctious, life-affirming god Hermes (Dwier Brown). The second act focuses mainly on Fran's spiritual, artistic and sexual rebirth under Hermes' exuberant tutelage. When the Olympic deity informs her that it is time for him to move on, Fran resorts to some desperate shenanigans shenanigans Noun, pl Informal 1. mischief or nonsense 2. trickery or deception [origin unknown] with the mystical Mrs. Sarah (Carol Locatell) to keep the god with her forever. The wonderfully buoyant energy that had previously been established becomes dissipated by the duo's ensuing static dialogue, mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in repetitious rep·e·ti·tious adj. Filled with repetition, especially needless or tedious repetition. rep e·ti rounds of Fran's angst-filled pleadings and Hermes' philosophical musings. THE WHOLE BANANA - Three stars Where: Court Theatre, 722 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 9. Tickets: $25. Call (310) 281-1152. In a nutshell: Despite an inconclusive resolution, this quirky comedy displays both the impressive writing and acting skills of Deb Norton. |
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