Award-winning L.A. stage star June Carryl proves herself a playwright to be reckoned with in Rogue Machine’s Blue, a ripped-from-today’s-headlines stunner now riveting audiences in the Matrix Theatre’s ultra-intimate Henry Murray Stage.

Banter may appear casual at first between uniformed African-American police officer Parker (Julanne Chidi Hill) and Sully (John Colella), the business suit-clad middle-aged white man she’s now facing in an LAPD interview room, but from the moment she reads him his rights, it’s clear that what we’re witnessing here is no friendly reunion between old chums.

“Under normal circumstances you have the right to remain silent and to not incriminate yourself,” Parker informs the interviewee, “but this is an administrative investigation and, as such, you are ordered and required to give a statement and answer all questions truthfully.”

On the other hand, given that it’s a “fairly straightforward” case under review, once Parker has asked a few questions and taken a few notes, Sully will be free to get on with his day.

If only things were that simple.

The case under investigation involves a 33-year-old African American named David Mason, stopped by Sully for driving with an expired tag on a residential street in L.A.’s trendy Beachwood Canyon.

Noting “the strong scent of marijuana emanating from the suspect’s driver’s side,” Sergeant Sully “asked if the suspect was in fact under the influence of any narcotic at which point the suspect fled the scene in his automobile.”

“As this was a residential neighborhood,” the report goes on, “the Sergeant declined to give chase and fired into the back of the suspect’s vehicle, striking him in the back of the neck, causing him to hit a tree. Paramedics were called. Suspect died at the scene.”

If all this smells fishy even at first reading, just wait until Parker begins to dig a bit deeper.

Complicating matters for the FID investigator is the fact that her police officer husband Benny was Sully’s partner for seven years, and that the two men’s friendship involved fishing boat outings involving not only the partners, but Parker and her father as well.

Still, no matter how long Parker and Sully go back, nothing will stop the investigator from discovering the truth, no matter how ugly and damning it may be.

Playwright Carryl adeptly weaves together events of the past few years (the Black Lives Matter marches, the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, and countless police shootings of unarmed black men) into 65 minutes guaranteed to keep audiences glued to their seats, and she earns bonus points for fleshing out both Parker and Sully the better to defy good-vs-evil stereotypes.

Adding to the impact is the production’s unique setting, an upstairs rehearsal room that production designers Joe McClean and Dane Bowman have transformed into  a realistically rendered interrogation chamber with just enough space for two or three dozen fly-on-the-wall spectators.

It’s a far simpler, more straightforward, and realistic setting than playgoers are accustomed to from Michael Matthews, but it’s one that allows the acclaimed director to focus on two stunning performances.

The once again sensational Hill’s snappy comedic gifts and her powerhouse dramatic chops prove the perfect combination to keep Sully guessing as to the gravity of the ongoing investigation, and Colella, who’s played parts as diverse as the “wildly wacko” Franz in The Producers and a self-pitying drunk in Rex Pickett’s Sideways The Play, is equally skillful at keeping us torn between sympathy and revulsion.

Christopher Moscatiello’s pulsating sound design adds to the production’s dramatic impact as does the single overhead lamp that illuminates its two participants, no lighting design effects needed this time round.

Blue is produced by Guillermo Cinefuegos, Sara Fenton, Kila Kitu, Mildred Marie Langford, Tarina Pouncy, and Betsy Zajko. Rich Wong is stage managers. Judith Borne is publicist. LaRhonda Parker understudies the role of Parker.

I’ve long admired June Carryl’s acting chops in such Michael Matthews-directed winners as Cabaret and Failure: A Love Story, and it’s equally thrilling to gush about her writing gifts in this, her very first produced play.

The fact that nothing is black and white in Blue is icing on the cake.

The Henry Murray Stage, Rogue Machine at the Matrix, 7657 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles.
www.roguemachinetheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
April 7, 2023
Photos: Jeff Lorch

Tags: June Carryl, Los Angeles Theater Review, Rogue Machine Theatre