Fools aren't the only ones who'll fall for this show

By George Cederquist

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH Love and marriage ain't no horse and carriage for Kate Sandberg, SY '98, and Michael Bell, TD '98.

"To be performed relentlessly without a break" is one of the many explicit stage directions which Sam Shepard includes in the script of Fool for Love. This weekend's production, a joint senior project for Kate Sandberg, SY '98, and Michael Bell, TD '98, accurately follows this instruction, producing comedy, tension, and sensuality in a brief but exhausting 80 minutes. Working well with a script that some directors consider confining due to its particular and specific nature, Theater Studies D.U.S. David Krasner's direction adds detailed touches to the production with flair.

Set in a cheap motel on the edge of the Mojave Desert, Fool for Love concerns May and Eddie, a couple suffering in a 15-year-long love- hate relationship. Eddie can't live with May, but he can't live without her either; May throws Eddie out, then begs him not to leave. We find out later, however, that their relationship is perhaps just a little too close for comfort.

Through its two protagonists, the play contrasts themes of sexual connection and male experience, but most of all stresses the vague division between fact and fiction, falsehood and truth. May and Eddie continuously profess both their love and hatred of one another, telling story after story of highly questionable validity. Their duplicity is embodied in the dramatic irony of May's character--while the other characters remain oblivious to certain facets of her personality, the audience is allowed to see all. We are all too aware of her hidden attributes: revealing underwear, a pre-packed suitcase, and bouts of tears, to name a few.

Eddie's father, known only as The Old Man (Graham Stevens, SY '99), and May's potential date, Martin (Max Dana, BR '99), complete the cast of characters. The Old Man functions as an interactive narrator, continually stepping in and out of the central drama through the minds of May and Eddie. His position in relation to the other characters is difficult to define, but Krasner fearlessly emphasizes his rotting omnipresence, leaving him to drink whiskey in the corner of the motel room. Martin serves a more menial role as the guinea pig on which May and Eddie test their respective tales of the past. He also provides much of the comic substance of the play.

Sandberg's May is near perfect; she intersperses moments of casual wit with poignant tears and violent frustration, enveloping herself in an alluring sexiness. Particularly moving is her breakdown following Eddie's initial departure which, as she lies stranded in a sea of emptiness, draws incredible power and focus. Sandberg works intimately with Bell, and every line rings true--from her sincere declarations of love to her venomous insults.

Bell's masculinity is coarse yet refreshing--he is often lounging on the ground with his legs wide open. He copes well with a character who is more complex than his bullying of Martin would have us believe, and his genuine tenderness towards May adds an additional element to the unpredictable Eddie. At times, however, one wishes for more contrast between his violent anger and intense lust. Nonetheless, Bell expertly paints a vivid scene of disturbing recognition through an extended monologue, a common facet of Shepard's writing.

The interaction between Eddie and his father is equally compelling. As The Old Man struggles to retain a fading influence over Eddie, Stevens's frustration builds well. Although too similar to the Lawnmower Man at times in its slow-wittedness, Dana's well-paced Martin is amusing and unobtrusive just when it needs to be.

Jason Hughes's, BR '98, claustrophobic set intensifies the already-suffocating atmosphere of Nick Chapel. The bland walls take every blow from the protagonists' frustrated lashings. The extreme physicality of May's kicks and Eddie's rolls, grabs, and throws exemplify Krasner's desire to create, as Sandberg reported, "a theatrical wrestling match." Owen Hughes's lighting complements the set well, highlighting the recurrent blood-red motif found in May's dress and on the chairs and tablecloth of the cramped room.

The thrilling ferocity of the sexual tension between May and Eddie, coupled with the intensity of Sandberg and Bell's rapport, is (needless to say) expertly directed by Krasner. These aspects combine to make this production of Fool for Love consistent with Shepard's original intentions, even if it remains somewhat challenging for audience members who are continually being taken aback by its relentlessness.

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