ENOUGH ABOUT BAGHDAD -- LET'S TALK ABOUT ME.Byline: Katherine Karlin Correspondent Ever hear the joke about the narcissist nar·cis·sism also nar·cism n. 1. Excessive love or admiration of oneself. See Synonyms at conceit. 2. A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in who interrupts himself, saying, ``But enough about me. Let's talk about how great you think I am.''? That's basically the modus operandi [Latin, Method of working.] A term used by law enforcement authorities to describe the particular manner in which a crime is committed. The term modus operandi is most commonly used in criminal cases. It is sometimes referred to by its initials, M.O. for hip-hop artist and journalist Jerry Quickley, whose ``Live From the Front'' is one of four monologues that make up the Center Theatre Group's ``Solomania!'' at the Kirk Douglas Theatre The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located in Culver City, California and in 2004, was acquired by the famed Center Theatre Group. The theatre is the most intimate of the groups 3 stages and seats 317 patrons at max occupancy. . ``Live From the Front'' documents Quickley's brief journey to Iraq immediately before and during the 2003 bombing. Quickley's quest, he says, is to capture Iraqi voices, to tell the stories of everyday people. But the only voice you'll hear is Quickley's. He spends a long time complaining about his wait in Jordan for an Iraqi visa, mimicking the strangers who try to help him. When he does reach Baghdad, he brags that his slovenliness so offends the well-groomed citizens that barbers offer him free haircuts (he declines, preferring to cause a stir). Quickley shrugs that the voices he wants to record can't be women's, because they are inaccessible (apparently he confuses secular pre-war Iraq, where women were visible in professional and public life, with more paternalistic pa·ter·nal·ism n. A policy or practice of treating or governing people in a fatherly manner, especially by providing for their needs without giving them rights or responsibilities. Muslim regimes). When he finally re-enacts an interview with a student, the subject merely asks, ``Why are you here, Jerry?'' cueing Quickley for a self-aggrandizing soliloquy soliloquy, the speech by a character in a literary composition, usually a play, delivered while the speaker is either alone addressing the audience directly or the other actors are silent. about how important it is Iraqis get their say. We never hear from the student again. The discomfort over Quickley's egocentrism e·go·cen·tric adj. 1. Holding the view that the ego is the center, object, and norm of all experience. 2. a. Confined in attitude or interest to one's own needs or affairs. b. turns to horror when we come to understand the extent of his recklessness with other people's lives while he pursues his excellent Iraqi adventure. Certainly journalists take great risks to chase down a story. But the only story here is Quickley, and the risks are not his own. In all fairness, Quickley's poetic language serves up some images that are hard to forget: the outline of a dead body that seeped into a linoleum linoleum (lĭnō`lēəm), resilient floor or wall covering made of burlap, canvas, or felt, surfaced with a composition of wood flour, oxidized linseed oil, gums or other ingredients, and coloring matter. floor, or a crazed dog running in circles during the bombing. Adam Phalen's sound design helps. But Quickley's anti-theatricality (he's seated throughout most of the play, and he often mumbles For the record label, see . Mumbles (otherwise, The Mumbles – Welsh Y Mwmbwls) is a large village with adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. It is also a community made up of the Mayals, Newton, Oystermouth, Norton and West Cross electoral wards. ) will make you wonder how this exercise in self-absorption made it to the stage. LIVE FROM THE FRONT - One star Where: The Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. When: In repertory through June 11. Tickets: $20 to 40; call (213) 628-2772 or visit www.centertheatregroup.org. In a nutshell: Hot air blows across Baghdad. |
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