Review: JACK & JILL Spar For Love at Santa Monica Playhouse

Jack & Jill/by Jane Martin/directed by Jack Heller/Santa Monica Playhouse/through March 27

(photos by Adrien Carr)

In Jack & Jill, playwright Jane Martin introduces us to a fictitious contemporary couple, both from previous failed marriages, who meet, have a reluctant affair, replete with doubts and insecurities, and eventually tackle marriage. At the very top they are skeptical about love and commitment - at least she is - so like a modern day George Bernard Shaw, Martin predicts unhappiness, a great deal of it. What makes this two-character comedy work especially well is the finite chemistry between its two stars Tanna Frederick and Robert Standley, two dynamite actors who are a joy to watch, under the expert direction of Jack Heller at the Santa Monica Playhouse through March 27.

Martin's dialogue is fresh and beguiling at the beginning. Jill turns Jack away with a quick, smart retort with lots of attitude, and when she does unpredictably give in, sets a specific agenda as to the way they will get it on. Coming off an ardent feminist - the play was written in the late 90s - Jill does not buy the word love and worries about maintaining identity. She is a medical student who wants to climb the corporate ladder in medicine, so her career is definitely the top priority. Jack is a graphic artist, equally devoted to his career and would prefer to live in LA, but stays in New York to attempt the relationship with Jill. His stability is not really that much stronger than hers and so they eventually fail. Even though audience may be rooting for them, they divorce at the end of Act I. The immediate reaction is: where does the play go from here? They surely won't start over, as one can never go back, Does Martin feel that she can carry off the impossible?

She does. In Act II, they meet up accidentally two years later and attempt once again to rekindle the flame. Jill grabs onto Jack, he stays in New York - he had moved to LA - to win her love, but it's the same old preoccupations that prevent her from giving in fully to him, until at the eleventh hour, she realizes that, although on top career-wise, she is alone and unfulfilled. She reaches out for Jack, after he has ignored her phone calls. For him, it's too late; he has put her behind him. But there is a final "maybe" that results - and a hug, so we are left with the possibility that the relationship may go forward ... again. With this, I draw the line. Hardly realistic, or acceptable at this point! Jill's consistently erratic behavior regarding Jack's honest overtures for me is intolerable. She does not deserve him, pure and simple. And they have tried twice already! A third go-round? But, the audience seems to love it...it's Valentine's month, and they crave a happy ending. When Martin shows one of the couple's happiest moments together, Jill gloats, "We all experience, for brief periods, you have... "in sync". That's probably the paradise they speak of." Lovers in the audience relate, and this is what they want to take home with them.

Director Heller has given both Frederick and Standley plenty of space to explore their characters' ins and outs. Their performances are splendiferous. Frederick is so focused moment to moment that she never misses a beat and is consistently fun to watch. Standley has never been better. He is 150% invested emotionally in Jack and his issues, making him totally humane and likable. Both give the play a drive and energy that it needs. Fritz Davis' projections add much to Victor Sonnora's basic, functional scenic design.

Go see Jack & Jill...and bring a lover! You are bound to enjoy Martin's sharp witty dialogue and engaging monologues, and especially the glorious work from Frederick and Standley.

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