Director

Kathy Fitzpatrick

Set Design

Jemaine Li

Costumes

Jemaine Li & Stephen Moore

Stage Manager

Laura Neufeld

Leon Tolchinsky

Perry Jay King

Snetsky

Kyle Nudo

Magistrate Kupchik

Eric Billitzer

Slovitch

Yvonne Golomb

Mishkin

Randy Simer

Yenchna

Penelope Lowder

Dr. Zubritsky

Eugene Lebowitz

Lenya

Lynda Scarlino

Sophia

Maria Hill

Gregor Yousekevitch

David A. Arnold

July 28 - August 4, 1999

Neil Simon’s FOOLS Come to Culver City

By Richard Schulenberg
Special to the Mirror

The new Culver City Public Theatre starts its inaugural season with a light-hearted production of Neil Simon's 1981 comedy, "Fools." "Fools" is, deservedly, one of Simon's lesser known plays. We are talking Neil Simon Lite here. Even the 1981 Broadway production directed by Mike Nichols couldn't save this work from being shoved to the back of the shelf.

The play takes place in the cursed Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov some one hundred years ago. The curse? For two hundred years every villager has suffered the curse of absolute and unremitting stupidity. Not just mere stupidity, we're talking DUM [sic] here! Snetsky (Kyle Nudo), the town shepherd not only can't find his "two dozen (14)" sheep, he can't even find his own first name.

Into this village of fools comes Leon Tolchinsky (Perry Jay King), an idealistic young school teacher, who rushes in like a Peace Corp poster boy to save the village from the curse (or, as the villagers invariably call it "the nurse, no the purse..."). Leon is lured to the village by an totally misspelled advertisement placed by the town's intellectual, Dr. Zubritsky (Eugene Lebowitz), to educate the doctor's daughter, Sophia (Maria Hill) and rid the village of its curse. Leon, of course, falls madly in love with this damsel sporting the IQ of a cabbage.

With one day ("25 hours" according to the villianous Duke Yousekevitch (David A. Arnold)) to accomplish this or fall victim to the curse himself, Leon struggles to raise Sophia from the the plant phylum to one of the lower vertebrates. (As I recall, Roy had better luck getting Trigger to count.) Needless to say, like any good fairy tale, love saves the day.

King's Leon and Lebowitz's Dr. Zubritsky are standouts. King's enthusiasm turning into bafflement as he runs head-on into a stone wall of stupidity is well worth seeing. Lebowitz's addled doctor, proud that his daughter has mastered the art of being able to sit down, is a wonderful comic turn. Arnold's villainous Duke, like all good villains, is quite appealing -- given your druthers, he's the one you'd want to hang with. The cast is spotty in places, but generally acceptable.

This is vintage Simon schtick. One liners and gags, spoken and visual, fly with the frequency of bullets from a Gatling Gun. I can't help, however, but feel this is an idea Simon floated in his old days writing for Sid Caesar (Sid as Leon, Imogen Coca as Sophia, etc.), but got shot down. The play milks one "stupid" joke after another -- it's really a one joke play. Mercifully, it's short (around 90 minutes with intermission) and, in spite of being milked dry, still funny.

This production is fun and free! The Culver City Public Theatre is off to an entertaining start while on its way to taking on classics ("Electra" by Sophocles and the 18th Century Italian comedy "The Fan") later this summer. The company deserves support.

Seating is on the lawn, so the company encourages blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets. The audience (which included families with small children) at the performance I attended was full, enthusiastic, and laughed through the whole performance. A fine way to spend a summer weekend afternoon.

Neil Simon's "Fools", directed by Kathy Fitzpatrick at Paul Carson Park (the corner of Motor Avenue and Braddock Drive in Culver City). Free. Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 at 2:00 PM.

Wednesday, July 28, 1999

Theatre Al Fresco

by Tiffany Maleshefski

Nestled in a quaint clearing of trees in the center of Paul Carlson Park, a brightly painted makeshift stage is playing host to summertime recreation in the forms of Neil Simon, Sophocles and Carlo Goldoni.

Kicking off their inaugural season - but 12th year of al fresco theater in Culver City - on Saturday, the Culver City Public Theatre debuted with work by playwright Neil Simon.

"Fools", a more recent work in Simon's career was well-received by the mixed group of patrons assembled to catch a spot of culture while basking in the sun and munching from picnic baskets.

Picnicking is an integral piece of the experience that shouldn't be skimped on and rivals the Hollywood bowl for elegant tailgating. Don't be silly and bring a few random beach towels, scraped from the top shelf of the linen closet and encrusted with last year's chlorine - how passé. A big fluffy blanket and Crate & Barrel picnic basket packed with kalamata olives, French brie, fresh berries and sparkling water (add lime if needed) should do more than just the trick; it will make you the envy of anyone who forgot the definition of picnic.

Make sure the kids sit in front (the actors have a knack for speaking directly to them), rub in the last dollop of sunscreen and think Ukrainian thoughts.

Set in the remote village of Kulyenchikov, an eager young schoolteacher, Leon Tolchinisky (Perry Jay king) has come to bring buckets of knowledge to its residents. But there is a problem: The villagers have been cursed with ignorance. Stupidity is the plague they cannot overcome and no one is surprised if villagers forget their own names or have trouble learning to sit, because their ability to learn is thinner than water.

But Leon Tolchinsiky has been hired to eradicate the yoke of idiocy that no villager has been able to escape. Hired to educate Sophia (Maria Hill), daughter of Dr. Zubritsky (Eugene Lebowitz) and his wife, Lenya, (Lynda Scarlino) who manages to beat out the competition in being the most stupid villager, Leon is the key ingredient in removing the 200-year-old curse on Kulyenchikov.

Not surprisingly, the locals neglected to tell Leon he only has 24 hours to educated the girl who mixes up her parents or he will fall victim to the stupid curse as well.

Directed by Kathy Fitzpatrick, "Fools" will entertain all ages with punchy lines and lively characters. "Fools" is definitely not in the same vein as Simon's classic work like "The Odd Couple" or "Barefoot in the Park," in fact its content is 360 degrees from regular Simon dialogue. So discriminating fans might have second thoughts. For those with less turned up noses don't hesitate to spend the afternoon enjoying the comedic fable.

The cast, set against an eclectic backdrop, evoked loads of chuckles and applause from more than pleased patrons.

Most pleasing performances were the Zubritskys, whose on-stage partnership was reminiscent of elderly couples arguing lovingly at Canter's. Never missing a beat nor the affection of the audience, their fast-paced repartee was a definite cornerstone in the strength of the production

Also memorable was Count Gregor (David A. Arnold), an immensely likable villain on the top of the hill who easily interacted with audience members without taking away from the fact tat he was in the play.

Certainly a move away from conventional theater, the outside ambiance is a lovely way to watch a play, even with an occasional car alarm adding to the sound effects. A runway to the front of the "stage" allows cast members to enter through the audience, peacefully tearing down the fourth wall of theater, but watch out for the occasional flapping cape that shows no mercy for squinted eyes.

On Saturday, the Culver City Public Theatre thanked viewers for their continued support and celebrated their success with cake and "Hors D'oeuvery things" for all to enjoy.

"Fools" will continue Saturday and Sunday. Performances are at 2 p.m. and admission is free.

Upcoming productions will be "Electra" by Sophocles, which will run Aug. 7 through 15, and "The Fan" by Carlo Goldoni, which will run Aug. 21 through 29. For more information, call (310)712-5482. (Tiffany Maleshefski)

August 12, 1999

CULVER CITY NEWS REVIEW, "Fools"

By bEVERLY sUMMO

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