KCFreePress.com

Pedophilia can be hilarious. No, really. Alcoholism is pretty funny, too, when Vanessa Severo is behind the bottle and Cynthia Levin is pouring. The fact that you’re laughing at all is a testament to the ingenuity and talent of the cast of Green Whales, the latest offering from the Unicorn Theatre.

Artistic director Cynthia Levin presents the world premiere of Lia Romera’s wickedly funny look at the distrustful lives and loves of two sisters after the death of their mother.

Karen, played by UMKC MFA candidate Anna Safar, is afflicted with Turner’s syndrome, making the 38-year old woman look like she’s 13. Her sister, Joanna, played by Severo, is an incurable alcoholic. The play looks at the implications of their dishonesty with themselves and others.

Because of her condition, dating is a problem for Karen, a philosophy professor. In the midst of a grieving and drinking binge, Joanna suggests that Karen try dating men on the sex offenders registry, saying that at least that way they wouldn’t actually be sleeping with children. The idea sounds perverse in and of itself, but when Joanna’s boyfriend, Ray, comes home from the precinct with tales of a man named Ian who was looking at junior high girls, Karen decides to investigate.

The story and relationship that follows investigates Ian’s proclivity for younger women and Karen’s automatic tendency toward dishonesty. After a failed proposal from Joanna to Ray, Joanna has to decide what she wants her to life to be and how to deal with her alcoholism.

Of course, the topics of pedophilia and alcoholism aren’t funny in themselves, but the absurd and nonchalant way that the script approaches the issues is. Safar’s Karen is wounded yet hopeful. Severo’s Joanna is resigned, yet sassy and confident. The complete ethical confusion of Dean Vivian's character Ian about his relationship with Karen makes him surprisingly sympathetic from the beginning, erasing the predator/prey relationship. Darren Kennedy’s twitchy Ray is almost charming in his lack of ability to identify his feelings.

The show works from the first second the cast steps onto the fantastic rotating stage. The production team has created not only a set but a time keeper, letting the audience understand what’s going on in between scenes. The glimpses of background provide great texture and humor.

I have never laughed so hard at a Unicorn production, and wondered immediately if I should have. Romero's work broaches taboo subjects, rips them open to their raw centers and lets the emotion run out. The complexity of emotions evoked by her play lends itself perfectly to the talented cast and production team behind "Green Whales." This is one bold new play not to be missed.

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