PLEADING LADY ACTORS' GANG'S 'SELF DEFENSE' PUSHES AILEEN WUORNOS MANIA TO ITS LIMITS.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic Anyone out there starting to wish that Aileen Wuornos had been their godmother? Or at the very least, their spa buddy? Two years after her death, the Florida prostitute-turned-killer who is the subject of an Oscar-nominated film (``Monster'') and a Nick Broomfield documentary (``Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer''), is experiencing an Andy Warhol-like 15 minutes that is starting to feel like 15 years. Fortuitously or otherwise, the always timely Actors' Gang has programmed the West Coast premiere of Carson Kreitzer's Wuornos-inspired play, ``Self Defense,'' right in the middle of this Aileen-o-mania. Fair enough. So after checking out the production's insignia - a blindfolded blind·fold tr.v. blind·fold·ed, blind·fold·ing, blind·folds 1. To cover the eyes of with or as if with a bandage. 2. To prevent from seeing and especially from comprehending. n. 1. slinky slink·y adj. slink·i·er, slink·i·est 1. Stealthy, furtive, and sneaking. 2. Informal Graceful, sinuous, and sleek: wore a slinky outfit to the party. Lady Justice tattooed on a woman's arm - after perusing the program's legal definitions of ``self-defense'' and ``battered woman syndrome battered woman syndrome Psychological and behavioral pattern displayed by female victims of domestic violence. Explanations that have evolved since the late 1970s include learned helplessness, a “cycle of violence” theory, and a form of post-traumatic stress ,'' after watching two hours of a Wuornos-inspired character (but, curiously, not a single one of her victims), a person is inclined to wonder ... Has everybody forgotten that this lady murdered seven people? And was executed for it? No disrespect to scuzzy See SCSI. scuzzy - The usual pronunciation of SCSI. , disreputable characters who often make compelling stage portraits. And it's entirely possible that Aileen Wuornos (called Jolene Palmer in Kreitzer's play) was a hell of a nice individual if you happened to be on her good side. She was certainly overly devoted to her partner, named Lu and played with lazy duplicity by Adele Robbins. Still, ``Self Defense'' is interested in constructing a mini Brechtian circus out of the people who are circling the condemned woman's orbit. Jolene Palmer (Cynthia Ettinger, wearing an orange jump suit throughout) is meant to come off as fate's pawn, a woman who had it tough her entire life. Did she do the crimes? Well, yes. Were they brutal? Affirmative. Did her victims deserve their fate? Was Jolene, as she repeatedly stated, acting in self-defense? Let's just say that the playwright and director Beth F. Milles are content to leave the water cloudy. Ettinger, with her earthy demeanor and twisted, call-me-crazy-if-you-dare logic, makes Jolene the most interesting character on stage. And, in a peculiar way, also the most sympathetic. We don't meet the johns - only a kindly older male friend who gives her lodging, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. in return for sex. The men we do encounter are corrupt investigators, a couple of Miami Vice wannabes Wannabes is an online interactive soap and game created for the BBC by Illumna Digital. Wannabes follows on from Jamie Kane, the BBC's previous foray into online interactive drama. The show/game consists of 14 10 minute episodes released twice a week. with the nicknames Bucket (Gary Kelley) and Drums (Ken Elliott). Aimie Billon bil·lon n. 1. An alloy of gold or silver with a greater proportion of another metal, such as copper, used in making coins. 2. An alloy of silver with a high percentage of copper, used in making medals and tokens. and Blaire Chandler play a couple of go-go dancers who comment on some of the action. A born-again Christian woman writes to the imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- Jolene, tries to use her for selfish reasons. Exploitation, in fact, seems to course through ``Self Defense.'' Everybody wants a piece of Jolene, who, Kreitzer posits, has been stepped on practically since birth. Not that Jolene herself is much for perspective. Her roadside clientele have become more disreputable, she reasons, because ``this Gulf War (expletive) is taking away my customers.'' She sees herself as a provider for Lu, whom she considers ``a truly good person'' even when the feckless feck·less adj. 1. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective. 2. Careless and irresponsible. [Scots feck, effect (alteration of effect) + -less. Lu ends up selling her out. ``Self Defense'' is played in seven scenes, each carrying a title (``The Last Resort,'' ``Jesus Told Me to Write You''). The pacing is a quick two hours (no intermission). Sibyl sibyl (sĭb`ĭl), in classical mythology and religion, prophetess. There were said to be as many as 10 sibyls, variously located and represented. The most famous was the Cumaean sibyl, described by Vergil in the Aeneid. Wickersheimer's largely open stage has poles for dancing and grinding, and is strewn strew tr.v. strewed, strewn or strewed, strew·ing, strews 1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle. 2. with junk food wrappers (a pre-curtain announcement reminds front row audience members not to reach up and snag the Cheetos). And may this be the last bit of Aileen-o-mania at least until Charlize Theron wins her Oscar for ``Monster'' or somebody writes ``Aileen'' the opera, whichever comes first. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com SELF DEFENSE - Two and one half stars Where: The Actors' Gang, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; through March 7. Tickets: $15 to $20. Call (323) 465-0566. In a nutshell: Meet Jolene Palmer: the serial killer next door. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Cynthia Ettinger plays a serial killer modeled after Aileen Wuornos in ``Self Defense'' at the Actors' Gang in Hollywood. |
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