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Get it while it\'s hot
by Samantha O\'Brien
Room for Cream (Episode 1) reviewed January 5, 2008
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| Jess Barbagallo and Laura Stinger |
| Photo Credit:Katie Brook |
| Now that The L Word has become so predictable that audiences can create their own bingo or drinking games to accompany the characters’ repetitive behaviors (e.g. take a sip when Bette has control problems, notch off B4 when Jenny goes psycho), it’s clear that the plots have grown somewhat tiresome. For fans in need of a jolt, there’s a good chance you’ll find it at the coffee house in Room for Cream, the live lesbian serial now playing at La MaMa.
While Showtime’s Sapphic mainstay suffers from a case of taking itself too seriously even when veering into trashy territory, Room for Cream is the kind of self-aware juicy pulp in which a wink seems to chase every line. In the pilot episode, “Welcome to Sappho," which premiered last Saturday, the characters’ problems range from tenderly familiar to comically over-the-top.
With its soap opera style, the show isn’t exactly groundbreaking material, but its light tone and firm grasp on comedy makes for a highly entertaining 40 minutes. Picture Cheers with lesbians and coffee. Everybody knows everybody’s name – and personal business. Inside the café, we have a few archetypes: the gender studies professor, the punky sprite, the voice-of-reason mother figure, the butch, and the lone, shoulder-shrugging straight woman. Unlike most pilots that try to cover too much ground, Jess Barbagallo’s script introduces everyone smoothly and sets up multiple promising plotlines.
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| Brooke O'Harra as Dr. Jane O'Boyle |
| Photo Credit:Benjamin Forster |
| However, as with any soap, a recap is bound to sound ridiculously complicated and overdramatic. I’ll try to keep it simple: things open with a forbidden love and end in hot pursuit of kidnappers, with some peeping toms, supply-room trysts, and muffins in between. Who knew the Berkshires could be so action-packed?
Director Brooke O’Harra smartly limits movement when the characters are inside the café. The scenes are propelled by the snappy dialogue and would probably be disrupted by unnecessary action. It doesn’t matter that the actors sit for much of the time: the fantastic one-liners (“Call it ‘youth outreach,’" one character says of her interest in the high school volleyball team) and spot-on references (wondering if someone is straight, or if “she locks herself in her room at night listening to ‘Come to My Window’ on repeat") are legs enough for the scenes to stand on.
The entire cast shares a knack for comic timing, particularly O’Harra as the scholar, Dr. O’Boyle, and Tina Shepard as the middle-aged patron, Beatrice. O’Harra’s professor timidly shifts in her seat, offering a pipsqueak-pitched analysis of every situation. Her spacey, delayed delivery perfectly offsets the character’s academic façade.
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| Jess Barbagallo as Bailey Donovan |
| Photo Credit:Benjamin Forster |
| While O’Boyle and the rest of the characters are more affectionately drawn – with love interests and cute quirks – Beatrice (so far) just has complaints and a colonoscopy appointment. Still, Shepard peppers her lines with just the right amount of huffy tones and acid-tinged punctuations that she makes Beatrice’s behavior a refreshingly bitter counterpoint to the others’ playful banter.
The live presentation enhances the fun vibe of the show. It’s interesting that both audience and cast should grow more familiar with each other as the series continues (there will be 10 more episodes on a biweekly basis between now and June), rather than the one-way conversation of television. The set furthers this interaction by placing the audience among the actors, seating people at or around the coffee shop where the action takes place. Sometimes, the occasional in-the-way spectator forced the actors to break the fourth wall, which made for unexpected humor.
Mishaps like these, though amusing, also point to one downside of the light nature of the show. It’s a little messy and could stand to be tightened up a bit. Perhaps this will come as the cast and crew settle into the show as it continues. Either way, I’m excited to see what future episodes will bring. It should be noted that the first show was packed. I’d tell you to go see Room for Cream, but with such a strong chance that will happen again, I don’t want to lose my seat.
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La MaMa (Club)
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Category: Cabaret
Written by: Jess Barbagallo
Directed by: Brooke O\'Harra
Produced by: The Dyke Division of Two-Headed Calf
Opened: January 5, 2008
Closed: June 7, 2008
Running Time: 40 minutes
Theater: La MaMa (Club)
Address: 74A E. 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
Yahoo! Maps Directions
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Tickets: $8.00
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Creative Team
Written by: Jess Barbagallo
Directed by: Brooke O'Harra
Produced by: The Dyke Division of Theater of a Two-Headed Calf
Light Designer/Board Operator: Carla Bosnjak
Design: Christian Brown
Soundtrack: Cheryl Kingan
Opening Song: Performed by Brendan Connelly
Cast
Elizabeth Reddin as the host
Kate Benson as Ellie Meeker
Tina Shepard as Beatrice Owens
Nehassaiu deGannes as Roberta Charles
Brooke O’Harra as Dr. Jane O’Boyle
Jess Barbagallo as Bailey Donovan
Laryssa Husiak as Lacey Chambers
Becca Blackwell as Dire Owens
Amber Valentine as Sharon Lefferts
Nina Hoffmann as Officer Jill Andrews
Daphne Fitzpatrick as Customer
Kevin J. Gay as Bill Lefferts
Ben Forester as Man 1
Brendan Connelly as Man 2
Jill Guidera as Francesca Beam
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