[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Road Theatre Company‘s world premiere of HELL MOUTH, written by Tom Jacobson and directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky.
The Road Theatre Company always brings its audience the most interesting and innovative work. Hell Mouth is freshly made by the wonderful playwright Tom Jacobson and concerns a young man, Tim, in love with the Renaissance masters working at a small museum in Los Angeles. Charged with finding Renaissance art from private collectors willing to lend out their treasures, he is having little luck and is in sore need of a win.
One of the museum’s board members, Samara, who is particularly fond of him, introduces him to an infamous TV critic/personality, Spencer. Spencer once showed his most prized possession to Samara and swore her to secrecy. But the prospect of a lost Caravaggio is a little too much for her to resist, and she is hopeful that Tim can charm Spencer and deliver the biggest art coup in centuries. Elevating them both, as well as the museum.
Spencer is obnoxious, guarded and difficult. He wants to get the most out of Tim before he relinquishes the painting. But strangely, it’s not Tim’s body he has in mind.
While all this drama unfolds, Tim’s parents back in Wisconsin are calling, gently coercing him to visit. Tim doesn’t understand why until he arrives and they share with him the true extent of his father’s illness. Devastated, Tim determines not to travel to Rome with Tamara and Spencer, a trip planned as a sweetener to Spencer. But his parents insist he go, and he does.
The play is told in fluid scenes merging one conversation with one character with another, Tim walking us from Spencer’s house to the hills of Italy, from the museum to the hospital, from hope to hopelessness. Everything revolves around Tim. A sweet, well-meaning, well-loved and slightly lonely man. He seems out of his depth with Spencer, whose obtuse and angry personality darkens every interaction. Yet Tim has the kind of quiet strength that Spencer could never have and he persists. But it is in the moments where, among all the rapidly changing scenes, he confuses Spencer for his father or Tamara for his mother that we understand him the most. Who among us has not lost themselves in the anxiety of life? Our minds foggy with the pressure, the expectation, the desire to keep the peace and not disappoint. It’s overwhelming and utterly human. If this play is about anything, it is about that as well, forgiveness and unexpected grace.
Of course, the performances are exceptional. Taylor Gilbert, who plays both Lois and Samara, moves from a Midwestern mother to a wealthy philanthropist effortlessly. I loved how both these women, who could have been played as complete opposites, were at their core so alike. Two strong, graceful women, it’s understandable that Tim sometimes mixes one for the other. Tony Abatemarco plays Spencer and Russell. Spencer has all the venom of a cornered snake and his Russell is awash with love. These men are also seemingly opposite, and yet in the end, Spencer’s bitterness masks his own deep wounds and there is forgiveness.
Hell Mouth is a wonderfully moving, poignant and beautifully told story. The nuances and intriguing layers seem to merge without affectation, ebbing and flowing around the center, Tim. All the while revealing more and more of everyone. But all this unravelling goes unnoticed somehow, so bewitching are the actors and so perfect the rhythm of every moment. It felt choreographed without feeling planned, if that makes any sense.
We know as an audience that once the lights go down, we are there to see a fully rehearsed and artfully constructed piece of theatre. And yet, when a play is as good as this, it can feel as spontaneous a thing as a bird flying through snow. And just as unforgettable.
Hell Mouth is a play about art. And just like art, it becomes about all of us. And that perhaps, in the end, is the most magical, unexpected and worthwhile thing about it.
Hugely recommended!! Bravo to all!!
Tickets:
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35065/production/1266509
When:
April 14-May 24
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm. There will be captioned performances for the deaf and hard of hearing communities on Friday, May 2 and Sunday, May 17.
Where:
The Road Theatre
10747 Magnolia Blvd., NoHo Arts District, CA 91601
The Cast
Tony Abatemarco as “Russell/Spencer,” Taylor Gilbert as “Lois/Samara,” and Danny Lee Gomez as “Tim.”
The Team
Scenic Design by Mark Mendelson; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Projection Design by Nicholas Santiago; Sound Design by Matt Richter; Costume Design by Jenna Bergstraesser; Properties Design by Ava Guggenheim. The Production Stage Manager is Maurie Gonzalez. HELL MOUTH is produced by Danna Hyams and Taylor Gilbert.