The “caper,” a story in which a bunch of characters get together to pull off a heist,
is a tried-and-true movie staple.  Think Oceans 11 (or 12 or 13), The Thomas Crown
Affair, How to Steal a Million…  The list goes on and on.  What’s interesting (and
obviously appealing) about these stories is that, for them to work, the audience
must sympathize with criminals.  The bad guys are the good guys, and we’re
rooting for them to pull off their crime.

Mark Stein’s Bad Apples, a world premiere “subversive suburban comedy,”
currently playing at the Rubicon, is about just such a caper.  Former cellmates
Brook and Eddie conspire with Brook’s girlfriend Peg to spring Eddie’s girlfriend Billie
from the slammer.  Their plan involves digging a hole down through Brook and
Peg’s living room and connecting with the sewer system and eventually the
jail…or something like that. The fly in the ointment is across-the-street nosy
neighbor Ida.

The audience’s curiosity is piqued from the moment they enter the theatre. Why,
in the middle of Trefoni Rizzi’s fine suburban living room set, is there a giant gaping
hole, with a pile of dirt beside it? As the plot unravels, and especially in a very
funny second act, we learn that there is more to each character than meets the
eye. What exactly was nerdy Brook and hunky Eddie’s relationship in the
slammer? Whose side is sexy Peg on? Is busybody Ida going to throw a wrench into
the trio’s plan? And why is Eddie being interrogated by the police (most of the
action unfolds as a flashback)?

Nick DeGruccio, best known for his direction of musicals, gets the best from his
comedic quartet of actors: Eric Lange as Brook, Precious Chong as Peg, Patrick
Hallahan as Eddie, and Clarinda Ross as Ida. All do fine and funny work, especially
Hallahan, who is a real find.  Where, one asks oneself, has this tall, handsome, sexy,
and talented young actor been hiding, and why isn’t he a household name?

Dan Wheetman has composed a caper movie-ready score, and David Beaudry’s
sound design effectively incorporates prison doors slamming shut (a hint of
danger). Steven Young’s lighting design is especially good, especially early on in
the play when it signal fast and repeated switches between now and flashbacks
to earlier in the day.

Sandwiched between the superlative Children of a Lesser God and the eagerly
awaited A Delicate Balance, Bad Apples is clearly not at the level of these modern
classics.  But as a bit of summer fluff, it is definitely enough of a crowd pleaser to
entertain Rubicon regulars, who can look forward to a quite different view of
suburban dysfunction when Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize winner opens in
September.


Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura; Through Sep. 9
Wednesdays: 2 p.m. 7 p.m,; Thursdays: 8 p.m.; Fridays: 8 p.m; Saturdays: 2 p.m. 8 pm.
; Sundays: 2 p.m.  Box office: 805-667-2900

--Steven Stanley
   August 31, 2007