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Review: ‘Half of Plenty’ at Theatre Theater

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Anxiety, not the subprime lending crisis, implodes a household in “Half of Plenty,” Lisa Dillman’s darkly comic look at recession psychology now at Theatre Theater. New homeowners Marty (John Pollono) and Holly (Carolyn Palmer) find the American dream comes with unexpected asterisks — namely, Marty’s live-in father (Robert Mandan), suffering from dementia, and proto-fascist members of the local neighborhood watch, known as APNEA (Ron Bottitta and Betsy Zajko).


Directed with impressive tonal control by Barbara Kallir, this Rogue Machine production runs on pure nerves, with Palmer particularly good as an addled bride with a wide-eyed crush on the doctor whose audio medical reports she transcribes. Dillman knows the way people find themselves lost in their own lives, and the best moments reveal how stress distorts our ability to inhabit the present. “I bought this for you so you could be comfortable,” grimaces Marty, headlocking his father into an easy chair.

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But as things go increasingly haywire on Stephanie Kerley Schwartz’s shabby living room set, even this fine cast can’t sell Dillman’s unconvincing plot turns. The play’s use of xenophobia as a means to divide Marty and Holly feels like a cheat. Still, as an absurdist view of working America on the edge of a nervous breakdown, “Half of Plenty” is painfully, wryly accurate.

-- Charlotte Stoudt


“Half of Plenty” Theatre Theater, 5041 Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends June 21. $25. Contact: 323-960-7774 or www.roguemachinetheatre.com Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

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