[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Cheshire Moon and Crimson Square Theatre Company’s production of “Lost Lake” by David Auburn, directed by Faye Viviana, starring Lisagaye Tomlinson and Craig Bachmann at Beverly Hills Playhouse.
I’ve seen several plays at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, all produced by Crimson Square Theatre Company, and all excellent. “Lost Lake” is no exception.
A brilliantly paced, emotional exploration of two people thrown together, who would have never normally have ever met and how the intersection of their lives for a few days one summer changes them.
Veronica visits a potential lakefront rental with a mind to book a week in the summer for her and her children. Hogan is the cabin owner and does his best to sell Veronica on the idea that his is the best cabin on the lake, despite its dilapidated condition, and Veronica’s obvious reservations. Veronica hasn’t had much luck with the other cabins she has checked out, imagining that a recently widowed young Black woman with two children doesn’t offer a good prospect for the extremely ‘conservative’ locals. Hogan, however, seems very keen to rent to her and, even though the cabin is rough around the edges, Veronica takes the leap and leaves Hogan a deposit.
Fast forward several weeks when Veronica arrives with her kids and finds that hardly any of the maintenance Hogan promised to do to the house has indeed been done, his clothes are even still in the draws and it needs a thorough cleaning. Annoyed but determined to make the most of her time with her kids, Veronica decides to stay.
She has other worries, having just lost her job as a nurse practitioner and is in real danger of losing her nursing license. Hogan has his own difficulties, sleeping in his truck while he rents out his home, and battling with his brother who co-owns the cabin. The two of them find out far more about each other’s woes than either of them would have ever liked and after a fashion become some kind of friends.
These are two people from totally different backgrounds and with completely different pain and yet something changes for them because of the other. For good and for bad. This is a play about expectations. The ones we have about ourselves and how our lives are supposed to turn out. The ones we have about each other, even if we have no idea who or what the ‘other’ is. And the ones we have about what any of us can ultimately do to change our fates, alone or not.
LisaGaye Tomlinson is riveting as Veronica. Icey, to the point of steel. Utterly broken, yet stoic in her pain and so human. She takes us on quite a journey from first meeting to last words. Really brilliant work and totally believable.
Craig Bachmann as Hogan is her equal in every way. He gets into the nitty gritty of this character, what could have been stereotypical is nuanced and layered and completely sympathetic. His ability to charm while clearly lying in the way a child does, only hoping to please, is so effective.
So with these two wonderful actors and a play full of richly drawn drama and the difficult, hard truth of the world how could this performance be anything less than wonderful. The set is also a star in this play, as you really do feel as if you are in a scruffy little cabin on the edge of a lake at the end of the summer.
“Lost Lake” is certainly an emotional roller coaster ride. We fall hard for these two people and thier very ‘lost’ lives.
The way they relate to each other, the small deceptions that are forgiven, and the deep understanding on a level that they couldn’t possibly ever really know is what makes “Lost Lake’ such a revelation. It’s a tender story of two people who save each other in completely different ways for no reason at all but that they can.
Watching their beautiful and very reluctant generosity of heart saves us a little too. There is so much animosity in the world – wars and hate and distrust.
“Lost Lake” gives us a couple of hours in a world where there might just be some hope for us all. Bravo!
Only a couple more weekends of this brilliance, so don’t dawdle!!
When:
Running through October 9
Friday and Saturday 8PM
Sunday 2PM and 7PM
Where:
254 S Robertson Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211