Theater review part deux: Based On A Totally True Story

by Richard Goulde of John Garcia's The Column

I want to write a rave review, and Based On A Totally True Story – part of WaterTower Theatre's Discovery series – offers a lot to recommend: strong performances, true depth of feeling and consistent laughs.

Unfortunately, a great cast is not enough to save a weak story from itself, nor to compensate for some questionable staging and direction.

What problems there are, are mostly minor. Problem is, there are just too many for the show to truly shine. Maybe it's not so bad as "death" by a thousand cuts, but that's the direction it's heading.

Ethan Keene (Andrew Phifer) writes The Flash comic book. He also writes plays, one of which is optioned to become a movie. He's invited to write the screenplay. At the time this happens, he's dealing with a new relationship, and his boyfriend (Michael, Beau Trujillo) has recently moved in with him. Plus, his parents are undergoing a marital crisis, and Ethan's father (Barry Nash) manages to put Ethan in the middle of it.

It's a lot to handle, and poor Ethan struggles to stay on top of it all.

The story by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa is more than a little "been there, done that." Heartfelt though it may be – and presumably based on his own experiences, considering that Aguirre-Sacasa is a comic book writer and playwright himself – the story doesn't take the audience anywhere new. In fact, the predictability becomes tedious. I was dying for something unexpected to happen, but it never does.

I also kept expecting a greater thematic connection between Ethan's work as a comic book writer and his personal struggle trying to balance all these disparate aspects of his life. The play discusses how The Flash is super-fast, sometimes so fast he can exist in more than one place at one time. Boy, Ethan could sure use that power, at least metaphorically! He doesn't, of course, but what's disappointing is the play never explores the implications, what it means or doesn't mean.

At least the cast manages to mine the story for all the feeling and comedy they can. In fact, given the lack of freshness, they do an admirable job. Phifer and Mary Anna Austin as Ethan's producer Mary Ellen deserve special mention for the comedy.

Not all the zingers land, but enough do to keep the audience amused. The dramatic scenes also (usually) manage to keep the audience engaged by the simple energy of the emotions channeled by the actors. This is the play's real strength, and if I can recommend it at all, this is why: all the actors bring real depth of feeling to their roles.

Andrew Phifer as Ethan conveys real pain as Ethan navigates the relationship trials in the play. Beau Trujillo as Ethan's boyfriend Michael finds just the right tone for his character: charming and appealing, while just intimidating enough for Ethan's "why does he like ME?" insecurity to be believable. Austin as Mary Ellen, the producer for Ethan's script, also manages to capture just the right balance of genuine warmth and Hollywood kookiness for her character, providing both comedy and a needed emotional anchor for the show.

Still, the performances – particularly between Phifer and Trujillo – suffer from a sense of artifice. Something is off, and it leaves their relationship feeling fake.

Phifer and Trujillo lack the chemistry with each other to imbue their on-stage relationship with the vitality that makes the audience believe in it. Add to this awkward physical interactions, and I just don't buy into their relationship. That hits the play hard, because we don't have the emotional impact from their relationship troubles that we should, and even worse, it just makes the play less compelling.

Director James Paul Lemons has done a good job utilizing the small space and helping his actors find the right voices for their characters. But he needs to deal with the physicality – the staging and blocking – in the play.

Phifer and Trujillo hardly ever touch, much less embrace or kiss. It's one thing when their relationship starts going south. It's another matter entirely when they're supposedly falling in love. They stand close to each other, looking into each others eyes, but they're statuesque, awkward. It's like the actors don't know what to do with their bodies, and that is something the director should have addressed. If nothing else, the sheer change in their physical interaction could have demarcated the later breakdown in their rapport even more dramatically, and it's yet another point where the play loses potential impact.

Perhaps it is actually written into the script that way. Or did the director make that call because it's a gay relationship and this is Dallas, Texas? Maybe the actors were uncomfortable with being physical with each other? Some third-party intervention?

In general, the gay content is fantastic. Stories where the drama derives from the gayness are a dime a dozen. It's refreshing to find a play where the gay content feels incidental, where homophobia and prejudice don't even show up. It's not presented as a gay relationship, but as a relationship that's gay.

I just wish we had seen a real relationship.

Overall: it's a charming and amusing story that's imperfectly scripted and executed, and loses a lot of its punch as a consequence. On the other hand, not every play has to be a Meaningful Artistic Experience to be an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. Just keep your expectations in check.

Based on a Totally True Story runs through May 3. Purchase tickets online or by calling 972-450-6232.