Theater review: ‘Block Nine’ at the Lillian Theatre
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‘Block Nine,’ written by Tom Stanczyk, is a stylish noir homage of a play that boasts a clever gay twist -- two same-sex casts (the ‘dames’ and the ‘fellas’) rotate performances, giving the drama two distinct variations on a queer vibe. The actors successfully conjure a hot-house atmosphere of thwarted desire but they can’t quite compensate for what is ultimately a sluggish and overly self-conscious story.
Everything in ‘Block Nine,’ at the Lillian Theatre, drips with sexual innuendo, including the name of the protagonist, Lockjaw, an undercover agent who infiltrates a maximum security prison in order to get information on a sadistic crime boss. What follows is a lurid tale of lust, double-crossing and murder -- all of which the play sets in art-deco quotation marks.
Both casts have clearly immersed themselves in the worlds of Turner Classic Movies and gay pulp fiction. ‘Block Nine’ excels as an exercise in style but not enough care has gone into the plot, which could definitely use another pass through the rewrite department. Some scenes go on forever while others feel truncated. Noir wasn’t just about shadows and cigarette smoke; the genre’s best examples were tightly plotted machines with a tragic angle.
Directed by Emilie Beck and Peter Uribe, ‘Block Nine’ works best when its characters are in heat, and in this respect, the dames easily vanquish the fellas. The women-in-prison motif is deliciously Sapphic, and the simulated sex scenes are steamy enough to convert anyone to the home team.
Of particular note are Cheryl Huggins, who as Lockjaw seems to be channeling Kathleen Turner channeling Lauren Bacall, and Dylan Jones, as her Rita Hayworth-esque arch nemesis. Among the fellas, Jeremy Glazer and Max Williams in the same roles don’t have nearly the same range, but their bare-chested musculature is more than captivating.
-- David Ng
‘Block Nine,’ Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood. 8 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sundays. Ends Sept. 20. $25. (323) 960-4410. Running time: 2 hours.
