Neighborhood watched
By Jana J. Monji 09/04/2008
Cheryl Bascom’s intermissionless trifle “Scaredycats” is a laugh-out-loud look at the troubled lives of people who start a neighborhood watch program.
Don’t expect any deep thoughts — like love thy neighbor. These citizens are a bit too busy getting to know their patrol partners in the naughty biblical sense to do much actual crime fighting.
Although the ending is a bit of a letdown, Bascom has completely trusted the actors. The parts are not overwritten, and this ensemble cast fleshes out their funny roles under the sure hand of director Douglas Clayton.
Beautiful blonde Christine (Julian Berlin) is no longer the shy, unsophisticated girl Peter (Dan Wingard) married. She has taken to packing an automatic handgun for her protection and assaulting the handsome police officer Bryce (Bradley Snedeker as a good-looking version of Don Knotts as Barney Fife) with her lips and groping hands.
Christine’s best buds with the flaming gay couple Adam (Christian Malmin) and Tony (Josh T. Ryan). Lusting after Christine, the slightly homophobic Carl (Ben Brannon) can hardly wait to be on patrol with his luscious blonde neighbor, although Carl’s wife, Trina (Heather Corwin), is very pregnant.
The smug rich couple, Pat (Derek Long) and his wife Mary Helen (Meeghan Holaway until Sept. 7, Kendra Munger thereafter), bring with them their au pair, Justine (Lauren Waisbren), who either has lived a very sad life or is a compulsive liar.
When a shot is fired, a neighbor is wounded and a prowler (Patrick Gomez) is caught and secrets are reveals.
One longs to take these characters further — like a zany soap opera parody — but Bascom, who grew up in Los Angeles and once wrote for the show “Designing Women,” died before this play could make its world premiere.
Go to this lighthearted look at the wrong and right kinds of neighborly love for a little harmless escapism and to honor a recently lost talent.
“Scaredycats” continues through Sept. 28 at the Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena. General admission is $25; seniors and students $20. Call (866) 811-4111 or go to www.fremontcentretheatre.com or www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/40461.
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