Playwright Don Cummings could well have titled his strange-but-never-boring new play Trainwreck rather than The Water Tribe because like an accident about to happen, you simply can’t take your eyes away from its hot mess of a female protagonist or Hannah Prichard’s tornado of a lead performance.

The signs are there from the get-go that not all is right with Claudia, beginning with the litany of fetishes that propel her relationship with Johnny (Christopher Reiling), who’d apparently not only be unemployed but homeless as well had his atheist Jewish mother (Jayne Taini as Sydelle) not given him the studio apartment he almost shares with Claudia, whose official residence is her cousin Sonia’s (Alexandra Daniels) pad.

Claudia is, for instance, so fascinated by the African practice of female circumcision that she wants Johnny to pretend to “cut out my clit,” but only “just a little” as part of their lovemaking.

And then there’s Claudia’s affinity for nature videos, the latest of which shows a lion eating a newborn baby zebra, a clip she and Johnny devour with their eyes while gobbling down meatball sandwiches.

Oh, and Claudia likes to bite and be bitten.

Johnny, on the other hand, would prefer nothing more than to play Cave War with an online Finnish friend as his unemployment checks come in and his girlfriend helps out the best she can from an extended office temp job.

All of this has Claudia wishing she were part of a tribe, like the ones in Africa she’s seen on YouTube, a longing she reveals to work colleague Brian (Jon Joseph Gentry), who hits the nail on the head when he tells her, “I think maybe you aren’t crazy yet but maybe you will be crazy in the future and this is what crazy looks like before it hits thirty.” (Sonia describes her cousin as “feral, like a cat without a home,” which is pretty accurate too.)

Then, in a bizarre sequence that has Claudia’s work computer screen suddenly go blank (because apparently that’s how the company she temps for gives its employees the pink slip), our hapless heroine finds herself jobless, and if Claudia has been on the way to wacko before, well, let’s just say that what we’ve seen so far is a mere prelude to some increasingly problematic behavior.

Not that Claudia’s screwed-upness is entirely unmotivated. Her dad did after all die when she was twelve, and if her mother is still alive somewhere out there, she might as well be dead.

Though a little of Claudia goes a long long way, with Prichard commanding stunned attention throughout, watching her unravel is not without its rewards.

In addition, director Tricia Small elicits terrific supporting performances from Reiling, who makes Johnny both odd and engaging; Taini, whose Sydelle is a bulldozing force of nature; and Daniels as a woman who’s mostly got her life together and wouldn’t mind seeing Claudia at least attempt to follow her example.

Last but not least, a particularly likable Gentry stands out as the sole (more or less) sane one in the bunch. (Watching Brian’s deer-in-the-headlights look in a scene that has all five characters over for dinner at Johnny’s is a particular treat.)

 Scenic designer Adam James Glover’s ingenious, stylish set manages to fit Johnny’s apartment, Claudia and Brian’s office, and assorted street scenes onto a matchbox stage, lighting designer Shara Abvadi creates some stunning light-and-shadow effects, Michael Mullen’s costumes are his accustomed fine designs, and Bella Vita Entertainment provides appropriate musical underscoring during close to a dozen scene changes that have actors awkwardly exiting the stage to get ready for reentry.

The Water Tribe is produced for Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles in association with VS. Theatre Company by Crystal Jackson and Liz Ross. Adam James Glover is assistant director and associate producer. Timothy Thomas Brown is fight director. Maya Braunwarth is production stage manager. Tyler Matthew Burk is production supervisor.

If it’s not already clear, The Water Tribe may not be everyone’s cup of tea, perhaps no wonder given that even a little of Claudia can go a long long way. Still, for those willing to put up with a whole lot of crazy, The Water Tribe makes for one wild ride.

Vs. Theatre, 5453 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles.
www.estlosangeles.org
www.vstheatre.org

–Steven Stanley
January 24, 2020
Photos: Glover Burk Photography

Tags: Don Cummings, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, Los Angeles Theater Review, VS. Theatre Company