So young Jack comes home from college for the Christmas holiday with a dreadful confession: he has been accused of rape by a girl he slept with back in September. And for the next 75 minutes his family reacts to the news.
The play is “A Good Family,” now having its world premiere at the Lounge Theater in Hollywood. Its author, who wrote and directed it, is Marja-Lewis Ryan, a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and a much celebrated playwright. She has won several impressive awards for her work, but unfortunately, this play, in my view, doesn't merit the same acclaim.
Young Jack's family consists of his mother, father, and sister, plus his Aunt Kerry, his mother's sister. Each of them is a fine actor and they provide a spirited response to his news. His mother, Sara (Heidi Sulzman) is in immediate hysterical denial. His father, Matthew (John K. Linton) offers a low-key consideration of the charges, and his sister Lacy (Kelli Anderson) is skeptical about everything. His Aunt Kerry (Lindsey Haun) is a lawyer, however, and she takes over, drilling Jack in preparation for the legal confrontation that he will inevitably face.
Alec Frasier, who plays Jack, is pluperfect as the distraught and frightened “perpetrator”. He insists the sex was consensual: “She didn't say no,” he contends.
But there's more. His friend Ray also participated in the activity, making the event a “three-way”. But according to Ray's version of the story, as reported in the newspaper, he (Ray) wasn't involved. He then proceeds to damn Jack with faint praise by expressing doubt that Jack would commit such a crime. The paper, however, also reports that the girl's body was covered with multiple bruises.
And so it goes. The rest of the play consists of shouting, weighing alternatives, and phone calls (Kerry is an insurance lawyer, so she keeps calling her business partner for advice). But it's Christmas Eve and nothing much can be accomplished at this time.
As for the surroundings, scenic designer Michael Fitzgerald has done a charming job with the set. His design includes a lit Christmas tree, the usual family clutter, and a gazillion wrapped presents. (The pile of presents is festive, but leaves you wondering who they're all for, since the prospective recipients are apparently only five people.)
The real problem with this play, however, is that it is an interesting premise that is in need of an ending. Certainly the plot is distressingly current; in an earlier generation alcohol and drugs were consumed, but not in the quantity they seem to be now, and girls who were raped were hesitant to report it. In the present era of knockout drugs and date rape, however, such activity appears to be almost routine. Especially at “party” universities and fraternity houses.
Unfortunately, there is no manual that prescribes a solution for the issues that Jack and his family are facing. And in the end, this play doesn't provide it either. In fact, the audience is left bewildered as the play just peters out…
“A Good Family”, which opened Nov. 28, will continue Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. through Dec. 20. It is being performed at The Lounge Theater, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling (800) 838-3006.
