Brian Sutow as Guy in No Rules Theatre Company's production of Some Girl
What is it about Neil LaBute? The playwright and filmmaker is is known for brutal, heartbreaking portrayals of humanity’s easy cruelty. He became widely known in 1997 (Was it THAT long ago??) for the cringe-inducing and stomach twisting film In the Company of Men and has continued offering up explorations of the limits of morality with special attention to all the twisted ways men and women can deal with each other. Either you love him or you hate him.
I happen to enjoy a peek into the dark side. One bonus is the opportunity to pat yourself on the back for having it made this far in life without engaging in the level of selfishness or horror on display on the stage. (“Wow I’ve never been THAT thoughtless, clueless, selfish, vain…” you get the picture.) The playwright is drawing you in with the easy patter we all engage in every day. The characters tend to sound like us and we enjoy the repartee so it makes the zingers more shocking when they reveal themselves. If these awful people act and sound so much like us…well how far off is he? Yikes.
The young troupe, No Rules Theatre Company, is currently showcasing a typical LaBute antihero in a run of Some Girls, at the H Street Playhouse. The script follows the travails of the main character, simply called Guy, as he flies around the country checking in on old girlfriends in an effort to tie up loose ends and make sure each is “okay” before his upcoming wedding. These meetings all take place in a series of similar hotel rooms.
He first meets up with Sam, the high school girlfriend from Seattle who has to squeeze in the reunion before going home to meet the school bus. Girl number two, Tyler, was a grad school fling better remembered for its passion than its discourse. Girl number 3, Lyndsay, is an older, married former colleague and Girl 4, Bobbi, is his college sweetheart who is now a doctor. It seems that Guy ditched each of them without a reason or a final word. They all have more or less moved on in their lives but Guy’s out of the blue visit is an unpleasant trip down memory lane. With each Girl we learn more of Guy’s story and a little bit about what has driven him to make these cross country trips. I could tell you the wee twist at the end but I’d hate ruin that moment for you. It’s pretty fun.
All of the actors, particularly the women, are top notch. While the female characters do tend to fall into “types” (eg, the homemaker, the wild one, etc.) each actress finds the nuances that develop the performances beyond the stereotypes they could easily become in a less careful production. Brian Sutow’s Guy is a perfect balance of ego and carelessness. He can be funny, even a tiny bit sweet and then… ouch. You feel the audience’s collective “ugh” at a few of his classic LaButian moments. But that’s the fun of the production.
Director Joshua Morgan keeps the evening moving and dialogue snapping. Paul MaCrae’s costumes are all spot on and I would like very much if someone could find me the shoes Bobbi wears in the last scene. Super Cute.
So sure Guy’s a sleazebag but Some Girls is a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theater. And move fast because the show closes March 21st.