Steve Martin—the comedic actor, musician and author—has created a funny, fast-moving work that is filling the Desert Ensemble Theatre’s auditorium at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
Meteor Shower—which premiered in San Diego in 2016, before moving to Broadway a year later—is full of fun, if a tad cynical at times. (One can only imagine some of the people Martin has actually met in his life, and what their words and behavior have wrought on him.) But it is the pace of this play, directed by Keith Hoffman, that gains our highest praise—it’s always slick, with the actors appearing and disappearing silently and quickly in the blackouts between scenes.
All the action takes place during one evening, from a couple of different points of view and with a couple of different results. Such a play is a rare experience, but a look at Steve Martin’s movies and other works will alert one to the intellectual curiosity of this man, and his ability to see the comedic value in situations which might leave the rest of us cold … or wondering … or numb.
The time is August 1993. The set is the living room and adjoining patio area of the Ojai home of a married couple, Corky and Norm. (The room contains a splash of ginger shag rug—yikes! Did we really do that then?) They are preparing to entertain another couple for an evening of stargazing and meteor appreciation and some getting-to-know-you. But Norm has only met Gerald briefly before, and has seen Gerald’s wife, Laura, only once, for a few minutes.
We see Corky (Theresa Jewett) and Norm (David Youse) interacting in a rather odd way—and we begin to realize that they have done a great deal of couples’ counselling. Specifically, they peculiarly and formally communicate their emotions to each other. Enter their guests, Laura (Lizzie Sosa) and Gerald (Skylar Gaines). Both are dressed in black, providing a startling contrast to the homey and casual styles of Corky and Norm. The silent and unsmiling Laura, who apparently works at Vogue, is wearing a very fashionable black cocktail dress and high-heeled sandals, and the lively Gerald is in a black suit.
As the conversation progresses, we learn a few surprising things about everyone and their marriages. It turns out, for example, that the Los Angeles office of Vogue has closed, which means Laura is now out of work. And for some reason, Gerald pointlessly brags, “I flew in a plane once to see an eclipse.”
There is some talk about the Coopers, whom Gerald and Laura know, and Corky and Norm do not know. While it is sort of implied that the Coopers are some sort of celebrities, they remain a mystery, although they are an influence in the later alternative scene for the group.
There is talk about “men and women language” and how couples learn to communicate. And then there is a variety of unacceptable behavior that takes place—with a lot of drinking. “Nothing energizes a marriage like a common enemy,” one of the characters oddly declares. There are some thoughts that are quite heavy, and others that are just tossed off.
It has to have been a challenge for the actors to keep up the pace they establish. Skylar Gaines takes Gerald’s brashness to an unimaginable and even shocking level. Theresa Jewett as Corky is full of surprises, and our first impression of a sweet and normal housewife is rather quickly replaced by that of a complex character. (She has amazing hair, by the way, which she handles beautifully.) The sophisticated Laura, as played by Lizzie Sosa, is poised and elegant, though we sense that she actually is comprised of a lot more. She moves around with a perfect figure, although she claims to have once been terribly overweight. And David Youse as Norm goes through several astonishing scenarios which the audience can’t possibly forecast—and which I won’t give away. Youse actually has the most demanding and change-filled role in the play, which he handles marvelously. The direction is lovely, with the entire stage cleverly used by all the actors.
It’s a most interesting play, and one that keeps you alert. The surprises keep on coming—and you don’t have to be an experienced stargazer to enjoy it!
Desert Ensemble Theatre’s production of Meteor Shower will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, March 15, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, at 2300 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $44.20. For tickets or more information, call 760-565-2476, or visit www.desertensembletheatre.org.