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Satiric Bees Lose Some Sting
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Willett, Gilpin
Photo by Craig Schwartz
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By Rob Stevens
Douglas Carter Beane's wicked satire of art and fame, As Bees in
Honey Drown,
is being given a lustrous production at the Pasadena Playhouse. Beane skewers
the current
American fascination with celebrity, even those of the 15-minute variety, with
his sharp wit. Alexa
Vere de Vere is a woman who is extremely gifted with the art of gab and has
created a persona
seemingly no one can resist. Her non-stop chatter makes everyone forget who
they were, what
they were doing, or why they are following her every lead. Even when she can't
keep her fictions
straight, no one seems to really care because she is so damn charming. Her
current goal is to have
a movie about her life produced. In her quest, she has corralled and bamboozled
a budding young
writer, Evan Wyler, to do her bidding. There isn't much plot in Beane's play,
but there is plenty of
style and a plethora of laughs.
Director Sheldon Epps keeps the action flowing fast and smooth across
Roy Christopher's
delicious scenic design. Costume designer Randy Gardell, lighting designer
Michael Gilliam, and
especially sound designer Steven Cahill have created a marvelous world in which
Beane's
characters can interact. Chad Willett has the appropriate deer-in-the-
headlights look and
demeanor as Evan, the young gay novelist who so falls under Alexa's thrall that
he believes he's
in love with her. David Shatraw, Cameron Watson, Kate Steele and Iona Morris
are a tight
ensemble as they create a myriad of characters for Alexa and Evan to bounce off
of.
The production's one shortcoming is lead Peri Gilpin. She has plenty of
energy and
delivers her lines with the appropriate offhanded panache, but she just doesn't
come across as the
Alexa we hear so much about from the others. Instead of creating a bigger-than-
life character, she
seems to have settled for a life-size figure. Although it's still fun to watch,
the play needs more to
really hit its mark.
As Bees in Honey Drown, produced by the Pasadena Playhouse at 39 S. El
Molino Ave. in
Pasadena. 626-356-PLAY. $39.50-44.50. Tue-Fri, 8; Sat, 5 & 9; Sun, 2 & 7.
Closes Sept.
21.
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