“Talhotblond” Review by Rose Desena
This Week in Theater
“Talhotblond”
Review by Rose Desena
Talhotblond is billed as a thriller, but the more I think about it I am convinced it’s a good old con job done with a 21st century twist. Thomas Montgomery (Mark Rimer) is a frumpy middle-aged worker with a desk job at a local factory. Working well with computers in 2005 puts him on top, because at that time some older people were having issues transitioning into the tech world. Like all good employees, he starts to waste time doing things he shouldn’t. Thomas gets a chance to step out of his ho hum life and have some fun with a “sexy thing” he befriends on-line. He starts to believe he is a HOTOLDMAN and the situation gets out of hand.
In this case, Thomas would have been better off if he had left his work at the office. Wife Cheryl (Kathleen O’Grady) is getting a little perturbed about her husband’s new obsession, being on his laptop at the kitchen table. She is confused by his sudden need to lift weights and work on his appearance. Boy, is this guy stupid…but he isn’t the only one. We find out that other men in his office have become obsessed with a video game and a Talhotblond of there own. Honestly, I don’t know how the company survived with such a pathetic staff. What adds a little juice to this, are the visuals.
The Talhotblond, played by Erin Elizabeth Patrick, is right on the money. She really captures the sexiness of the character by the way she entices her pray and the audience. The playwright, Kathrine Bates, has a good handle on the vulnerabilities of the male ego and to what lengths we are willing to go to have a second shot at being young and hot. Although I thought the story peeked a bit early in the script, it all seemed to work with a good run time of 90 minutes. Beverly Olevin (director) makes some good choices and uses the small stage to its fullest. Decent acting and good music make this production a nice slice of entertainment that goes down easily and will have you thinking seriously about trolling the Internet for a good time.
I give this a “go see,” and it’s on the Westside, love that.
“TALHOTBLOND”
Playwright: Kathrine Bates
Directed by: Beverly Olevin
Cast: Julia Arian, Mary Carrig, Lane Compton, Ben Gavin, John-Paul Lavoisier, Kathleen O’Grady, Erin Elizabeth Patrick, Mark Rimer, and Oscar Rodriguez
Ruskin Group Theatre is located at 3000 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Runs, at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2pm on Sundays through April 26, 2014. www.ruskingrouptheatre.com. Free Parking
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