When marriage turns murderous

Relationship drama is the focus in the 1940s set movie, "Married Life."

By Becky Kinder
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: Diversions


Chris Cooper, left, as Harry and Rachel McAdams, right, as Kay become involved in an adulterous love affair in "Married Life."

Getting married, baking pies, throwing delightful dinner parties and making sure to wait on the husband were jobs of the American woman in the 1940s. This time period's ad-style art in the opening to Sony Picture Classics' "Married Life" gets the viewer into that homemaker state of mind while also preparing the audience for the mixing of mentalities and social expectations of the past and the present.

Although set in the 1940s, director Ira Sachs successfully keeps the audience engaged in present time mentalities. Why, then, set "Married Life" in the 1940s? Maybe it was just so the actors could dress in fun vintage clothes. Who wouldn't want to see one of the film's stars, Rachel McAdams, with soft platinum blonde curls and the dark red lipstick, which was so fitting of the times?

Though the production quality itself is fine, the storyline and characters are hopeless. Just as we can seem to understand and relate to a character, they swerve on their path, making choices that any responsible and reasonable person would never condone.

Harry, played by Chris Cooper, and Pat, played by Patricia Clarkson, are married. Pat is a forward-thinking, sexual woman who believes love revolves around sex rather than romance. Viewers soon discover Harry, however, prefers romance to sex. This dilemma then leads him to a widowed Kay, played by McAdams, who is a younger woman but with the older sensibilities Harry is looking for.

Ultimately, Harry decides in order to get out of his unhappy marriage he must kill his wife. His logic: She could not possibly survive the heartache and humiliation of losing her husband.

This backwards way of thinking makes a strong case against identifying with Harry. His wife, by the standards of today and the past, is sexier than Kay in the way she dresses, carries herself and with how forward she is sexually. Kay seems always to be on the verge of tears, dresses conservatively and speaks with such a softness that it seems she's constantly waiting to be hit with a rolled newspaper. Why Harry would want to cheat or leave Pat boils down to him just wanting a lost puppy rather than a tigress.

Harry's womanizing best friend, Richard, played by Pierce Brosnan, throws a wrench into the situation as he also falls in love with Kay. The plot thickens from there, as one part of a couple cheats on another and that pattern leaves no couple unturned - pun intended.

The greatest performance in "Married Life" was of Cooper. If we watched this film without dialogue, Cooper conveys the perfect, pained victim, looking for a way out of a desolate situation. Throw the dialogue back in, and he's crying because of his own stupidity and feeling sorry for himself for no good-enough reason.

The director missed the mark on this movie, however. Sachs wanted us to feel as though a part of us could be found in each character, but that becomes insulting, as none of the characters have many redeeming qualities. Each person makes choices he or she claims are for the benefit of another, but are afraid to own up to their own insecurities.

A bar for the sports fanatics

O'Connell's Cocktails is a local hangout spot great for combining friends, sports and booze.

By Becky Kinder
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Diversions

Saying a bar is a popular neighborhood hangout may be off-putting to some, causing you to think that you'll walk through the doors and feel like an outsider, but you shouldn't let that happen with O'Connell's Cocktails in Long Beach. Although nobody jumps out to shake your hand or give you a hug as soon as you walk in, the atmosphere is a welcoming one.

The use of the words "Irish Pub" on O'Connell's website seems a bit misleading because the mere fact that it's not decorated like a traditional Irish pub, or even as a traditional American version of an Irish pub. Nothing else leads to a feeling as though you're in a pub.

The ceiling is lined with different advertising tins for beers and the rest of the décor is sparse and uneventful - just tables and stools without anything but some paper coasters.

The atmosphere created by the employees and patrons make up for the lack of aesthetic charm. The employees at O'Connell's were more than pleasant and quick to serve.

While enjoying the O'Connell's friendly ambience, you can eat delicious meals from the adjacent restaurant Shillelagh. My date and I were able to order food from the Shillelagh menu, all of which looked delicious, and we were also instructed that we could order anything we wanted, even if it wasn't on the menu.

Beside friendly service, games are definite attraction of O'Connell's. There are two pool tables and a shuffleboard table, as well as a few video-game screens at some of the tables. In addition, there are 17 televisions playing several different types of sports. One screen, which featured a Strongman Competition, got a bunch of people in the bar to groan in unison. The groans led me to believe that O'Connell's would be a great place to watch any type of sports game, where the patrons would all get into it together.

The digital jukebox played mostly classic rock and 80s rock, along with some of the more upbeat sing-along-while-you're-drinking country songs. There was only a moment of the music being too loud and that was obviously a mistake, as it was quickly turned back down. It was at the right level to rock out to while still being able to hold a conversation without having to yell.

There was a pretty steady flow of people, mostly consisting of 30-something and a middle-aged crowd, though there were plenty of people in their 20s making their appearances as well. The younger crowd started to come in after 10 p.m.

However, guys, beware. O'Connell's should not be first on your list of where to pick up on the ladies, as men were definitely there in abundance compared to a few women, who mostly seemed to be coupled up, anyway.

Don't miss out on O'Connell's. It may not be a romantic or peppy sort of place, but the atmosphere is happy and relaxed, and I can imagine the pep picks up during big games. In spite of living in Huntington Beach, I'll surely find my way there again.



Media Credit: Dano Kuhlken
Next door to O'Connell's Cocktails is the restaurant Shillelagh. If you don't feel like eating bar food you are allowed to order off the Shillelagh menu and eat at O'Connell's.


Media Credit: Dano Kuhlken
Although the window says as "An Irish Pub," the décor inside O'Connell's lacks Irish flare.


Media Credit: Dano Kuhlken

Cal Rep's 'Tango' isn't exactly a crowd-pleasing play

This production of the groundbreaking play emphasizes the obtuse nature of the original work.

By Becky Kinder
Issue date: 12/11/07 Section: Diversions

Although Polish playwright Slawomir Mrozek wrote "Tango," which is known as his most famous play, over 40 years ago, the political and social themes of the play are said to remain relevant today.

Unfortunately, in the California Repertory Company's production of "Tango," which is currently running at the National Guard Armory in Long Beach, what (seemingly little) could have been followed and understood through the play's text was constantly getting swallowed up by the space and often thrown away by the actors, who delivered lines without the emotion their words called for.

The direction of German guest artist Eberhard Kohler negatively affected the audience's ability to actually understand the dialogue of the actors because he was working with a thrust stage (a stage that puts the audience on three sides instead of the traditional one) in a very large, concrete room. Actors facing away from one side of the audience were unable to be understood, as their voices were not loud enough to compete with the space and would echo into mumbles.

The talent of the actors I have really enjoyed in other productions, such as that of Josh Nathan (Eddie), was overshadowed by the occasional absurdity of the storyline and severe lack of flow or consistency.

A suspension of the play's own reality, or any suspension of disbelief, was missing. Some might say that the characters are searching for and living in a reality of their own, and working forward to change it through the play, but that would require a semblance of consistency that "Tango" lacks. I was constantly lost because I was unable to find any semblance of realism or even some of the absurdity some claim the play is great for. I was teetering on the edge of dialogue that made little sense, even in its own world.

The costume design was as erratic as the dialogue, as were the clever sound effects (water dripped to melodies of familiar songs) and the lighting. Each of these elements upstaged the actors and storyline, and continued to fight with the other artistic aspects of the production.

The actors broke the fourth wall often, talking to the audience while jumping onto the railings or sitting in the next seat, or addressing those in the tech booth. Again, whether this is the director's choice or that of the playwright, it simply makes so sense and doesn't work.

After seeing this play, I tried to do some of my own research about the play and its author when I, with my disdain of the text and the production itself, began questioning my own intellect and analytical skills (shame on me).

What I found was even more of the same old regurgitation I've always seemed to hear about literature: Freudian themes, political parallels, and so on. Well, if that's what is said to be found in nearly, if not all, pieces of literature and theatre, what makes this play so special? I've yet to find out.

Based on an understanding of Freudian analysis, some sources say that it's obvious that the son is upset about the father always walking around with the fly to his pajamas open because he is jealous of his father's penis, wants his mother sexually (and, therefore, is jealous of his father for that, too), and is generally threatened by his father's sexual freedom.

Without finding any quotes from Mrozek denying or confirming those thoughts, I am left to wonder if it's just society reading the same old things into one more piece of theater. Those themes certainly weren't clear in Cal Rep's production.

Personal opinion pushes me to place a little blame on plays such as "Tango" for deterring more people from becoming regular theater patrons. The theatre world seems to be constantly looking for an audience, and I believe that part of the problem is too many artistic works cannot be readily understood by those who attend.

I am not saying that if some people does not understand a production, it shouldn't be produced. I am just trying to point out that if you are going to mount a play such as "Tango," you may want to supplement it in some way so it becomes easier for your audience to digest by perhaps providing a bit about the meaning of the play itself (or at least some sociopolitical context) rather than a small bio of the playwright in your program.

At intermission I heard people in the audience whispering what I thought was my lone opinion: "Ugh, this play is so boring." I overheard others trying to figure out what was going on and what the play was even about.

You may want to find out for yourself if you agree with some of the opinions of the night regarding "Tango," including my own, or you can just take my word for it and avoid going to see a play that is generally lackluster, uneventful and pointless.

"Tango" will be running through Dec. 15 at the National Guard Armory in Long Beach. Ticket information is available by calling (562) 985-4500 or visiting www.calrep.org.

"Tom, Dick, and Harry" not quite a hilarious romp

Although there are some bright spots, the production as a whole is as inconsistent as the characters' accents.

By Becky Kinder
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Diversions



Media Credit: Shashin Desai / International City Theatre

With house music reminiscent of '60s romantic comedies featuring Doris Day or bickering-buddy comedies like "The Odd Couple," there was the expectation that "Tom, Dick, and Harry" would be a silly romp of a comedy with a dash of sincere sweetness.

However, the show did not completely follow through with this promise.

"Tom, Dick, and Harry," the International City Theatre's last production of the 2007 season, is a play that takes place in England. Tom and Linda are a loving married couple working toward adopting their first baby. When Tom's brothers show up, all hell breaks loose, comedy ensues and the couple's dreams may never be. Characters who don't speak any English show up, a dead man's body parts fly and the police stick their noses where they are not welcome.

Unfortunately, the production is not as funny as promised, and it is artistically inconsistent. Each actor is supposed to carry a British accent through the play. Not only do some actors completely fall out of their accents at times, including leading lady Christy Hall, but the three title characters are brothers who each have their own accents as though none of them grew up together.

The upper-class British accent Tom (Brian Stanton) has matches that of his wife Linda (Hall), and I commend him for never falling out of the accent even through all of the shenanigans he has to deal with. However, when introduced to Tom's brother Dick (Nicolas Levene), who comes in with a fantastic Cockney accent, I was thrown for a loop because I was listening to an accent so different that it was impossible to accept that the two were brothers.

Bring in the third brother, Harry (Jaime Tintor), and there are three separate accents. Tintor slips in and out of some kind of an Irish accent towards the end of the play, but it has nothing to do with the story or action.

Did director Todd Nielson simply let the actors do whatever British accent they wanted without regard for consistency within the story? It seems like it. Three biological brothers so close in age to each other would normally all have similar speech patterns and certainly the same accent.

The set was dressed with items that didn't fit, as though the designers just found a painting in storage and used it to fill the space on the wall or figured the table needed a little something and thought, "Why not put an empty bowl with little decorative quality there?"

That empty bowl ended up being the object of busy work for the actors, another poor choice that should have been rectified through better direction. The actors' backs faced portions of the audience, even while speaking.

The script, written by Ray and Michael Cooney, was slightly amusing at times, though it also suffered from filler in the form of pointless and less-than-mediocre jokes designed solely to give the actors something to say.

The sophomoric humor that popped up periodically seemed to make some audience members laugh while it left others to wonder why a joke about Linda's "pussy" (her pet cat, people) even needed to be written.

Surrounded by mostly blue-hairs, I found myself to be the youngest one in the audience, which is something that needs to be fixed. Go see more theater, even if it's not this particular production.

I did laugh a few times, but the rest of the audience certainly found the whole experience more humorous and enjoyable than I did, and several critics apparently agree with them.

The actors' performances, namely Stanton and Levene, are the only saving grace that makes the show enjoyable in any capacity. Overall, I think this production has a place with those who just want to have a good time and a little laugh if you can ignore all its shortcomings.

"Tom, Dick, and Harry" will be running through Nov. 18 at the International City Theatre. Ticket information is available by calling (562) 436-4610 or visiting www.ictlongbeach.org.

'Lars and the Real Girl' shows real heart and emotion

By Becky Kinder
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Diversions


Although Lars seems to simply be an anti-social or shy young man, what unfolds before the audience, and eventually the other characters in "Lars and the Real Girl," is the loneliness and emotional disarray he has been living with since the day he was born - and what needs to happen for him to work through it.

Lars (Ryan Gosling) shuts himself away from everybody in his small Midwestern community as often and completely as possible, including his brother, Gus (Paul Schneider), and his sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer).

In spite of his inability to fully connect with others on a social or emotional level, Lars does show he cares for those around him in the only ways he can.

Everybody in Lars' small town puts forth the effort to coax him out of his shell. His sister-in-law constantly invites Lars over for meals with his brother at her home, which happens to be the house adjacent to the converted garage Lars is living in. Co-workers and fellow church members attempt to involve him in conversations and invite him on dates and bring him to events.

Eventually Lars announces to his brother and sister-in-law that he has met a girl over the Internet and she is staying with him, but their desire for a non-sexual relationship requires that she stay in the main house instead of with him.

The audience and his family meet Lars' girlfriend, Bianca, and see that she is an anatomically correct doll, the type usually ordered for sex, not a relationship.

From that moment on, the other characters live life through the view of the reality Lars has created instead of trying to force him back into theirs. His small family and the community band together, with the help and suggestion Dr. Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson), to help Lars live with - and hopefully overcome - his delusion.

You cannot help but laugh and be horrified at the same time, but the film eventually shifts to an undeniable view of the uncommon humanity everybody shows to Lars. It's even easy to envy what Lars has when you see his family, doctor and the community bending over backwards to treat him and Bianca as normal community members, showing unconditional acceptance and love.

In a seamless performance by Gosling, Lars fits into an "everyman" sort of commonality while also showing the social and inner emotional strain and differences he faces everyday. The slightness of each change Gosling shows is almost like watching a flower sprouting from a seed - there is no sudden change unless you pay attention. Gosling plays each scene with such a natural ease it is easy to believe he really is the man you see on screen.

Mortimer and Schneider are a great support, not only to Gosling, but to each other's characters as well. Their performances offer a look at the give and take relationships need to survive through life and also remind us that sometimes opposites, even just different views, can attract and even carry one another.

Clarkson offers up such a superb performance, it is almost blasphemous to call it acting. Her strong yet kind and gentle lead is just what the rest of the community needs to follow and help Lars live the best life possible.

Through Bianca's visit, the community in "Lars and the Real Girl" sees what it is really made of and helps each individual take a look inside as well, bringing everybody together instead of ripping them apart.

The audience, too, can grow and learn from this film - and laugh a lot while doing so.

"Lars and the Real Girl" will be released in theaters Friday.