Love Song – Review – Can Fantasy Heal

Paul Eddy and Clair Kaplan - photo by Ken Jacques
Spread the love

By Kathy Carpenter

Paul Eddy and Clair Kaplan – photo by Ken Jacques

Scripps Ranch Theatre presents, “Love Song,” by John Kolvenbach, directed by Claire Simba. Bizarre, offbeat, and beyond …. Billed as a quirky romantic comedy. To me the play more than little strange. I didn’t quite grasp the concept. The actors were amazing, the story had a romance, and a few laughs, but can you love a fantasy?

Leigh Akin and John Dicarlo – pgoto by Ken Jacques

The play is character based, and the characters are interesting taking you on a slice of life journey. In this story only one character has growth. Beane, thus the most fascinating of the four. With mental issues Beane is clearly suffering deep depression barely moving through his life. Suddenly without a catalyst he meets and falls for Molly. A version of himself. Even though he meets her robbing his apartment Bean becomes totally enamored. He comes to life. Seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, his senses are awakened. He becomes almost jovial, telling his sister he is in love. The audience is happy with the fact love can transform even the saddest cases. But can it? Soon his sister and husband suspect the truth and go to visit Beane. For the husband he is convinced Beane is crazier than ever. As for Beane’s sister? Well, Beane is happy. How often is one truly happy in life?

Paul Eddy and Leigh Akin – photo by Ken Jacques

The others characters Beane’s sister Joan and her husband Harry. Joan’s unhappy with her constant lack of work-ethic interns, and spends a lot of time complaining and arguing with Harry. Harry does his best to keep Joan happy. They do find their own interlude of happiness in the midst of everything.

Beane is played by the talented Paul Eddy. Molly is played by Claire Kaplan. The couple played well off each other and made a believable couple. Leigh Akin, showcases her talent, as the somewhat embittered Joan. Rounding out the cast was John Decarlo, who brought the laughs to the play.

Scripps gives us one their beautiful contemporary sets with a wonderful bar taking up a huge part of the set. For The other part of the story, Bean’s world – it’s represented as a dark corner with a single bulb light. The stage is a character of it’s own bringing us into a world we might like to enjoy.

The show is ninety minutes with no intermission. The language as described by another is crude. The show I feel was not right for their audience.

Covid practices are in place. Mask must be worn in theatre.

Theater has returned slowly to the city after the pandemic and they need your support more than ever. If you have a hint this is your kind of play, please come out and support Scripps Rance Theatre.

Paul Eddy – photo by Ken JAcques

Love Song

Scripps Ranch Theatre

Through 3/20, 2022

Legler Benbough Theatre at Alliant International University

Box office 858.395.0573

http://www.ScrippsRanchTheatre.org

Up Next

The Taming

April 15 – May 1, 2022

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*