BWW Reviews: Bruce Norris' PARALLELOGRAM Storms Mark Taper Forum

A Parallelogram/by Bruce Norris/directed by Anna D. Shapiro/Mark Taper Forum/through August 18

According to Euclidean geometry, a parallelogram is defined as a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides that are non-intersecting, which means they will never cross. Bruce Norris throws definition to the winds as one of the characters in his blistery new play A Parallelogram, now at the Mark Taper Forum, totally manipulates and reinvents it. It's an off-quilter exploration of life taken to extremes, showing the contradictions, disappointments and overall negativity that living has to offer. The joys expressed are a paltry number. Taking today's technological mode a giant step further, one quite ordinary gadget practically becomes a fifth character in the play: a remote control with magical powers that can instantaneously zap the repetition of an action at will, at least when used by Bee (Marin Ireland) or her older counterpart/conscience (Marylouise Burke). With stunningly skilled direction from Anna D. Shapiro and an excellent cast of four actors, A Parallelogram curiously entertains with vitality, intelligence and a deliciously wicked sense of humor.

Here's the premise set forth up front: If you knew in advance exactly what was going to happen in your life, and how everything was going to turn out, and if you knew you couldn't do anything to change it, would you still want to go on with you life? Bee, who recently had a hysterectomy, is eventually diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Her live-in boyfriend Jay (Tom Irwin), who is married with two kids, feels unfairly characterized as always playing the bad guy. Are their relationship problems really his fault? With Bee's lack of doting on him, as she's preoccupied in conversation/discussion with her older self, there are some rough edges. Add JJ, a Mexican gardener (Carlo Alban) who minds his own business at first, but eventually ends up coming inside the house and even having an affair with Bee. Are the talks between Bee and her older counterpart real or are they a product of her imagination? Audience witness Marylouise Burke exchanging ideas, lounging, smoking and eating cookies, yet she is only seen by Bee, not by Jay or JJ. Jay thinks Bee is losing her mind, especially when she talks about the eventual crossing of parallel lines and about interfering with destiny.

What makes the play worth watching are the surprises, which future audiences should find out for themselves. There are some quite delightfully rapid set changes and moment.to.moment unexpected twists and turns that develop in line with Bee's odyssey. There's also the element of racial discrimination present that Norris handled so brilliantly in his Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park. Bee stays with JJ for sex only and Jay looks down on him. He is doing him a favor by giving him a $10 tip for mowing the lawn and states quite emphatically that he does not want his children around when Bee is with JJ. Must not tarnish his image after all! Burke in Act II assumes the role of 'abuelita' to JJ, speaking Spanish in an imperious and laughable tone, creating further distrustful anti-Hispanic feelings. Alongside all of the play's substantial elements, Norris conveys a fabulous sense of playful humor, as when Burke as Bee's doctor calls Jay an asshole and only Bee can hear her, causing Jay's alienation, but terribly, howlingly funny. Bee's description of child-bearing is gross yet amusing, reminding me of an old Roseanne one-liner that goes something along the lines of... "Women should eat their children." Disgusting! Bee's utterance does not include the eating part, but it's just as fiercely disturbing, a subhuman observation...it is obvious that Norris' perspective is not meant to be pretty. I love the presence of the two caged birds and the mention of the linnet bird on the vacation breakfast table, which are among the few joyful images of beauty.

The four actors are terrific. Ireland is intensely crazed and edgy as Bee; Irwin plays Jay as Everyman, a sort of Jack Lemmon character, always trying to please, concerned about his responsibilities of keeping peace and holding the family together, but ending up a somewhat defeated chump. Another intense performance! Burke in a variety of characters but representing the older mind of Bee is sheer delight. With her gravelly voice and laid-back delivery, she is a consistent hoot and a half. Alban adds a nice touch as JJ, showing the discomfort the outsider experiences, trying to fit in. Anna D. Shapiro's top-notch direction has consistently smooth pacing, and Todd Rosenthal's scenic design is impeccable.

A Parallelogram is heavy, heady stuff that is most definitely worthwhile. Whether you want to take it seriously, that's up to you! As a result of seeing it, I cannot dismiss the thoughts that people are forever plagued by the desire/need to change something for the better in their lives, especially through middle age. More often than not their attempts create further complications rather than clear resolutions. As one approaches the twilight years, change usually doesn't matter as much, since one has learned through a lifetime of boring repetition that to expect anything different is a joke. And yet, if maybe we could just treat people kindly along the way, through the horrible clutter of life, maybe that would be difference enough. Resort to lies? Little white lies produce nicer results. If that's what it takes, to hell with the brutally honest cry that "human effort is meaningless"; no negativity here, for we need to make life bearable if we are ever to go on with grace and dignity.

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