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A Moment Out For The Theater: 'Some Girl(s)' At The Geffen Playhouse (LA)
Neil LaBute isn't a gentle playwright.While some dismiss him as merely a shock jock for the live stage, his body of work reflects a nuanced & powerful writer who also happens to have an amazing command of the English language.
His latest stage production, "Some Girl(s)," just opened at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and I recently got a chance to check it out.
This is the third production of "Some Girl(s)" to date, all of which have starred former male NBC sitcom stars as their lead. Yet LA's is the first production of "Girl(s)" that LaBute has directed himself. The original London production starred David Schwimmer ("Friends") as 'Guy,' a writer who is about to be married, but before he takes the leap decides he's going to go visit four ex-girlfriends in an effort to, "make things right between them."
Click Here To Watch A Clip from "Some Girl(s)"
The New York production starred Eric McCormack ("Will & Grace"). The LA production stars an endearing Mark Feuerstein ("Good Morning, Miami").
As with his previous works ("In The Company Of Men," "Fat Pig," "The Shape Of Things"), "Girl(s)" asks the LaBute-ian question of, "When is it OK to hurt somebody?"
Although often accused of being the quintessential "straight male" writer (I myself can't help but compare him to Mamet, down to the syncopation and pauses), with "Some Girl(s)" I feel that LaBute has written his strongest females roles to date – four of them, to be exact (maybe not better than his 'Evelyn' character in "The Shape Of Things," but certainly close!). Rosalind Chao, Paula Cale Lisbe, Justina Machado and Jaime Ray Newman -- all top-notch actresses, who don't fail to disappoint -- play the women Guy heads back to visit.
As with most LaBute plays, there's a twist in the 'Men vs. Women' dynamic that you may or may not see coming from a mile away.
Nevertheless, the revelation remains shocking and the dramatic stakes are high.
For those not in LA to catch this stage production, LaBute's next project, a film currently in post-production called "Lakeview Terrace" starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, should be out in theaters later this year.
This one reportedly tackles the "racism" topic head on, and should no doubt prove to be another wild ride.
"Some Girl(s)" opened February 2, 2008 at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and continues its run through Sunday, March 9.
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