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review Essentially a poker game for six actors, Sam Shepard’s "Simpatico" makes a lot out of a very small story. And like most poker games, "Simpatico" goes on a little too long. But that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. It's Southland premiere, now at Santa Ana’s Empire Theater, certainly satisfies. The cynic might say "Simpatico" resembles any number of Shepard plays on the usual Shepard obsessions. Will he mention horses? (Yes, the whole play concerns horses.) Will he talk about Cucamonga? (Yes, and also San Dimas and Azusa and Glendora.) Will men get drunk? (Oh, yeah.) Is there a gun around? (Only one this time; no shots.) The Shepard fan, however, sees the play as a welcome return, another impressive examination of the Western daydream. And you don’t have to be a Shepard fan to realize that this is a really good play, an eminently satisfying work with a trace kinship to the antiheroic western films of the 1960s and 1970s. The plot is this: some years ago, a Southern California racing commissioner named Simms caught two friends, Vinnie and Carter, swapping prize geldings for ringers. Vinnie and Carter were going down. But then, they blackmailed Simms with some incriminating pornography. The result? Simms had to change his name and move to Kentucky; Vinnie lost his wife and went into hiding; Carter went legit, started a family, and joined a country club. The trio has been calling each other’s bluffs ever since. When some of the pornographic photo negatives suddenly can’t be found, the poker game is on again. This Rude Guerrilla Theater Co. production is directed by Rita Rene, who acted at SCR about a decade back ("Good", "The Diviners"). Rene has done a wonderful job of pacing this "comedy with menace," and her non-Equity cast meets the play’s challenges with sterling performances. Since "Simpatico" unfolds as a series of two-character negotiations, any production of the play relies heavily upon the actors’ skills and personalities. If the cast is bad, it’s a very long night. However, this cast is good -– and often, it’s really good. Of particular note is the remarkable Forrest Robinson, a Fullerton College theater arts professor who seems born to play Simms. He’s clearly having a lot of fun, and his performance is a home run, capturing the core, the fire, and the nuances in a complex character. In the catalytic role of Cecilia, Ashley Alexandra Bretz initially comes on in a charming whirlwind of what seems like caffeine epilepsy; she expertly reveals her vulnerability as the story progresses, and masters a difficult Missouri-by-way-of-Britain accent. Andrew Nienaber has become a magnetic leading man; this is his third Rude G production, and he captures Carter’s mania -– and handles Shepard’s torrent of language -– with ease. They drink a lot of bourbon in "Simpatico". You have to drink bourbon slowly, or else you won’t enjoy it. It’s an apt metaphor for the play, which lasts three acts and nearly three hours. It’s a small story, but the telling is worth each sip. "Simpatico", presented by Rude Guerrilla Theater Co. at the Empire Theater, 200 N. Broadway, Santa Ana. Fri-Sun through Oct. 1 (no performances Sept. 15-17). $10-12. 714.547.4688. Copyright © 2000 The Write Word, Inc. All rights reserved. |