In the '50s, the Detroit Institute of Arts was doing a clean-up on "The Wedding Dance" created by Pieter Bruegel the Elder around 1566. They discovered an overlay paint covering up the men's codpieces. Altering art, it seems, goes back decades as well as centuries.
My name is Adam. I'm shy and about 25 pounds overweight. I haven't had a date in a long time. Then this tall dark-haired woman actually came on to me. She kissed me! She was sorta weird. She wanted to spray a penis on a statue at the museum where I work. The real statue's penis was covered over by a prude's plaster leaf a few years ago.
Evelyn, that's her name, helped me too. She suggested I actually style my hair and get rid of my old corduroy jacket and buy some new clothes. She suggested some other things, like losing weight, replacing my glasses with contacts, and, finally, choosing between her and my two best friends. Well, actually my only friends. She was awesome in bed.
That's a bit of Adam's (Michael Grohsman) story. Evelyn (Emily Jonak) was an artist doing her thesis project in Neil LaBute's revealing, The Shape of Things. It is a compelling story of just how many changes a man will make when he falls under the spell of a lovely, aggressive artist with her own agenda. His best friends are former roommate, Phillip (Jason Godfrey) and Phillip's fiancee, Jenny (Brenda Foley). At one time, Jenny sat beside Adam in a class and did everything possible to get to know him, but his insecurities prevented a relationship.
These four Mercy College students reside in a small northern California college town. Each has his own problems, insecurities, and flaws. Phillip has a temper and is questioning his pending nuptials. Jenny finds she has very strong feelings for Adam. He has similar feelings while still being in love. They have a private, steamy meeting. Phillip and Evelyn have a similar rendezvous.
Looking Glass Theater's The Shape of Things is powerful. Each actor is totally in character from the moment they enter stage right until their final exit stage left.
Playwright LaBute's language requires your close attention. Every word has meaning. Director Geoffrey A. Cox has paid attention to the idiosyncratic behaviorism of each character. It is, however, Grohsman, Jonak, Godfrey, and Foley who make it all convincingly happen. They are assisted by Christina Pastoral, Pam Raney, and Carr Cavender, playing many roles each.
Sadly, the production itself is flawed and overly long. The minimalist set comprises black boxes and columns, at least one painting in each scene (a very nice touch), and minor set pieces and props. Yet it takes too long to install each scene and, once installed, an interminable time for the lights to come up on what becomes a scene-starting tableau. Having written that, I would sit through this cast doing a reading of The Shape of Things; they're that good.
