ROMANCE FINELY DELIVERD IN "THE STRING".Byline: Katherine Karlin Correspondent Lucid by Proxy has got the right idea. The theater company presents new plays in unfussy un·fuss·y adj. 1. Not particular about or concerned with details. 2. Not cluttered or complicated, as with extraneous matters or details. surroundings (in this case, the tiny Paul E. Richards Theater Place in Silver Lake), showcasing emerging writers and young actors. At the moment, "String," a romantic confection con·fec·tion n. A sweetened medicinal compound. Also called electuary. by first-time playwright Jessica Lind, proves that a light touch can strike exactly the right note. "String" is about the mysterious romantic connections that bind us, and why a young woman may fall for the suitor SUITOR. One who is a party to a suit or action in court. One who is a party to an action. In its ancient sense, suitor meant one Who was bound to attend the county court, also, one who formed part of the secta. (q.v.) who, on paper at least, is all wrong for her. Raina is an aspiring poet, so what's on paper matters, and when love comes knocking on the door - literally, in the guise of the pizza man - she can't recognize it. But then, Ryan isn't simply a pizza man; he has aspirations of his own, to modernize his uncle's faltering fertilizing company. Although Ryan pursues Raina ardently, her head is turned by a more appropriate potential boyfriend, a scholar of medieval literature (David Nett), who anoints Raina as a suitable helpmate help·mate n. A helper and companion, especially a spouse. [Probably alteration of helpmeet (influenced by mate1). for his academic career. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Raina's sister, the tearful (and ironically named) Joy (Shannon Nelson), feels neglected in her marriage to a dull bandage salesman (Richard Wylie). It gives nothing away to say that all ends happily and that love works in puzzling ways. On the way, however, Shannon Jarrell and Chuck Raucci, in the romantic leads, crackle crackle /crack·le/ (krak´'l) rale. with energy. If anything, Raucci may be too good - he emits so much electricity, we wonder why Raina doesn't come to her senses sooner. But Lind depicts Raina's subtle intellectual snobbery perfectly, and for Ryan she has written witty lines that prove someone can be whip-smart without being expensively educated. Ostensibly os·ten·si·ble adj. Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity. a romantic comedy, "String" shrewdly observes the machinery of the 21st-century class system. The tension between Joy and her husband is resolved too early to be considered a real subplot sub·plot n. 1. A plot subordinate to the main plot of a literary work or film. Also called counterplot, underplot. 2. A subdivision of a plot of land, especially a plot used for experimental purposes. , and some of David Nett and Patty Ramsey's direction bogs down in detail (we are constantly distracted by bits with Raina's pocketbook, which has no function in the story). These are minor quibbles, however; Lind's voice is articulate and refreshing, and this production does it justice. STRING - Three stars Where: Paul E. Richards Theater Place, 2902 Rowena Ave., Silver Lake. When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; through April 30. Tickets: $15; call (800) 838-3006 or visit www.lucidbyproxy.com. In a nutshell: A fresh take on finding Mr. Wrong. |
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