The Catskill Chronicle

Review by Sharlene Hartman

ELLENVILLE, NY (June 29, 2011) – I never expected to use the word “Jackass” in the same sentence as Shadowland Theatre; that is unless I was describing a person sitting next to me trying to unwrap candies in the middle of a dramatic moment. In fact I was so clueless, the evening I went to see the world premier of Shadowland’s newest play, “Jackass Flats,” that I thought the subject was going to be testosterone driven; either about a bunch of thrill seekers doing dumb stunts or something about drag racing. Well, I couldn’t have been farther from the truth; my excuse is I was asked to see the play at the last minute.

It turns out that “Jackass Flats” has been in various forms of development for quite some time, having it’s “inception” at The Actors Studio and winning the Maxwell Anderson Award for the “Best Unproduced Play of 1994.” It was written by C.C. Loveheart and her husband John Simon (residents of Napanoch) and because of the Play Development Program at the Shadowland Theatre, was developed into a full-length play. As for my thinking any testosterone was involved, I was oh so wrong. If anything, “Jackass Flats” is estrogen driven, a theatrical version of a “chick flick,” a “babe stage,” so to speak. But fear not, men will find plenty to enjoy and laugh at.

The play is set in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Valentine’s Day 1952, and is based on the “personal reminiscences” of C.C. Loveheart as a child. At rise the mood is set with a pink, white and chartreuse kitchen, a fabulous song from the era and the radio broadcasts the latest discovery of Senator Joseph McCarthy, “337 communists employed by the state.” I’d like to have seen a few kitchen accessories and tchotchkes of 1952, to add a bit more personality. However, a young girl, Lana Dee (charmingly played by Amelia Rose Allen), enters with a big personality and proceeds to make a sugar and Wonder Bread sandwich at 1:00 a.m. in the morning. Her mom, Kay (played by Rita Rehn) sees this and stops her from eating it. She wants Lana Dee to eat healthier and get some more sleep before leaving on a 4:00 a.m. mystery road trip.

When Lana Dee, in her many precocious attempts at bargaining for the sandwich, mentions that Wonder Bread has “Niacin and Riboflavin” Kay says, “You are such a little con artist, you are probably going to grow up to be a lawyer.” And based on all that Lana Dee observed growing up, I wouldn’t have doubted that prediction at all. But she wouldn’t have been a shyster attorney, more along the lines of an Erin Brockovich.

The opening mother daughter encounter was sweet, innocent and oh so 1950s but the music in the background, as much as I loved it, was a bit too loud and I strained to hear the conversation. I would have liked to have had Kay turn off the radio, once the dialog started, or at least have it lowered.

Kay gets a phone call that breaks the whole perceived 1950s perfectness. At this point you get the hint that something involving heartbreak is on the horizon … especially when she sits down and pours herself a drink.

Then there’s a knock on the door and Kay’s tipsy disheveled sister-in-law Virginia (played by Estelle Bajou) enters. Ginny, as she’s called, is not a drinker but has just discovered the joys of crème de menthe covered ice cream, in fact ”two bowls” full. But Ginny is troubled also, she sits down and pours herself a “highball,” causing Kay to remark “you wouldn’t even drink the champagne toast at your own wedding”.

At this point I thought I was in for a 1950s, Las Vegas-style version of “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking.” I was wrong, but I didn’t know it till the second act. But the setup and dynamic between the two women is very similar. Kay is a wise cracking, Rosalind Russell type character; with a steady stream of one liners. And Ginny is this naive little lost soul with a heavy southern accent. Kay doesn’t get why her brother married her: “You don’t drink, you don’t smoke, you don’t swear; not sure you’re the right girl for my brother … He could have had his pick of anyone but he ended up with a Mormon hick.” But sweet little Ginny just listens, drinks more and bears it all because she thinks Kay is “so sophisticated” and has a perfect life. She also suffers from an extremely bad case of low self-esteem yet is begging to join Kay, Lana Dee and the never seen husband/father on this mystery road trip. What’s a needy girl to do?

It becomes apparent that all of Kay’s sharp-tongued one-liners and forced sarcasm is a cover for some pretty chronic unhappiness. When her husband calls to say he can’t join the family for this Valentine’s Day road trip, Kay lets out with “oh, things to do and people to screw!”

I loved the second act. The set was fabulous; featuring a faux 1951 Chevy convertible against the backdrop of an ever changing moonlit sky and that marvelous music. Juicy detailed information is given and Brendan Burke has directed the many moods of the second act beautifully. I thought Kay and Ginny were more interesting, seemed more grounded and real, much less “the victims,” especially Ginny. When she shares knowledge, you’d never expect her to have, but knows chapter and verse, you see the metamorphosis. She gains confidence and saves the road trip, which we find out is to the test site of the atom bomb. There had been times, while whining, that Ginny’s southern accent became shrill. With her new found sense of self this seemed to diminish. I found Estelle Bajou’s body language, facial expressions and naked sincerity a delightful mix for Ginny. And with the character’s new found confidence I was better able to understand some of the dialogue.

I also enjoyed Rita Rehn’s Kay, so much more in the second act. In spite of her recent discoveries she seems much stronger and kinder. This time the women have an open, honest and equal relationship. They’re still drinking, but just beer. Perhaps this is “proof” that too much alcohol does hamper one’s ability to communicate. And Kay does continue to share her vision of the world with some very funny dialog. There is this conversation where Kay is giving Ginny suggestions on how to perfect a particular type of sexual activity; it’s hilarious and played to perfection. There were many moments like this and I enjoyed watching the men in the audience react; it was definitely a couple’s laugh fest, until a very serious turn when a secret is disclosed that I never saw coming.

There was one thing that bothered me though, and it took me out of the scene. Early in the second act, Kay brings out a supposed sleeping Lana Dee. Unfortunately, what Kay carried, as a facsimile of a sleeping child, was awkward, too light and too stiff; it looked like a small ironing board with a pillow on it. It didn’t fit Shadowland’s usual attention to detail, which made me wonder if something had happened to the real more flexible, heavier prop. A mother carries her child with a certain ease, the child would bend at the waist and knees. I think a rolled blanket or carpet might have worked better.

The second act brings focus to a lot of serious issues. One being the innocence there was, when viewing the A-bomb at Jackass Flats; Ginny ironically exclaims that testing the atom bomb is “the best thing to happen to Vegas since the Pony Express.” Yet they know that pigs are dying when put in the testing area. Ginny asks, “Ya sure this is 100% safe?” The emotion of seeing the bomb go off, watching something so powerful, is played beautifully by Estelle Bajou. We watch the three characters respond to this monumental moment and Ginny says “Look what we can do.” It gave me chills. Then out of the mouths of babes Lana Dee says that she’ll title a report “What Happened to The Wild Mustangs?”

I think that Jackass Flats has the potential to be a very important play, it so captures a very specific timeline in history. At present I found it to be a half-cut diamond, the second act is cut and polished and the first act is a little rough. But the audience loved it, so what do I know. The woman behind me remarked “Now that was a fun one.”

Jackass Flats: Runs through July 10. Curtain times are 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a ticket price of $30.00. Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m., with a ticket costing $25.00. Senior and student discount is $2.00. Box office: 845-647-5511

*Pay What You Can Program: In an effort to insure that Shadowland’s programming is accessible to all audiences, Thursday and Friday performances (except opening nights) will make seats available for those who cannot afford the regular admission price. Anyone wishing to purchase a “Pay What You Can” ticket may simply purchase a ticket, at the box office, during Shadowland’s regular hours and set their own price. “Pay What You Can” and enjoy a great evening at the theatre!

Shadowland Theatre, 157 Canal Street, Ellenville, New York, 12428, www.shadowlandtheatre.org.