There are many community theatres in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. Most of them present the same type of popular plays that appeal to general audiences. The community theatre that has always been an exception to that rule is the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse. They often present off beat plays that other community theatres won't present. Well, they're at it again at Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse with their current production of Sordid Lives, a black comedy about white trash.
We find out that Peggy Ingram of Winters, Texas, has died in a motel after she tripped over the prosthetic wooden legs of her lover, G.W. Nethercott (Rusty Vance). G.W. also happens to be married to the best friend of Peggy's daughter Noleta (Leigh Anne Patterson). The family is reined in by elder daughter Latrelle (Kay Richey), who gathers the clan for Mama's funeral. Latrelle is not only ashamed of the circumstances of Mama's death, but also of her homosexual son Ty (Ryan Holihan), who lives in New York. There's also her brother Earl (Ron Grigsby), known as "Brother Boy", who dresses like Tammy Wynette and has been in therapy to be treated for his homosexuality at a state institution for the last 23 years. This family is more than just dysfunctional.
Playwright Del Shores is having a lot of fun reminiscing about growing up in a small Texas town. This is not a realistic reminiscence, but a satire on rural living among the trailer trash of rural America. But Shores has a love/hate relationship with these characters, with the love aspect eventually dominating the comic satire.
As Ty Williamson, Ryan Holihan turns in an honest performance as the homosexual son who returns to Texas to confront his mother about his homosexuality. Holihan never overplays the role and delivers with all the strength the playwright intended. At the other end of the spectrum we have Ron Grigsby as the outrageous transgender cross dresser "Brother Boy". Grigsby also does not go over the top but presents this person with a heart of gold as he embraces the role in a performance that is one of the highlights of the year so far. The only disappointment is that he doesn't enter until the second act. When he does, the production takes off like a rocket.
It's always a pleasure to see a community theatre take a risk. The risk here is the language and outrageous situations, and viewer discretion is advised. However, as I looked around at the audience, which was mostly older adults who could be living here in Leisure World, I saw people smiling and generally having a good time. And even though there are some minor bumps in this production, on the whole it is taken to a higher level than most community theatre productions thanks to two exceptional performances and the wit of the playwright.
- Larry Blake
Leisure World Golden Rain NEWS