Angry Young Women: In Low Rise Jeans With High Class Issues
Hudson Mainstage Theatre
First, of all I love the title. I’m not a fan of low-rise jeans mainly because my thick booty refuses to conform to the standard of fleeting fashion. May they not make a comeback.
Who would understand the horrendous flavor the month but a woman? N’est pas? But behold there’s a shot of testerone by the name of Matt Morillo, who took a chance in articulating on this amusing topic. He is hysterically right-on. What would normally be described as a “chick” dilemma, Morillo created an intelligent, sexy-smart play. Not bad for a debut!! The writer/director/producer is behind the 2000 award-wining drama The Pretenders and the romantic 2003 comedy Maid of Honor, (not to be confused with the Patrick Dempsey version).
The former won the Long Island International Film Expo for Best Feature. The best emerging L.A. and NYC comedians have Morillo to thank for those die-hard jokes he writes for them. It’s official, Morillo knows what’s funny.
AYW takes place all in a single day in busy New York City. All three actresses, Katie Locke O’Brien, Brooke Hasalton and Jessica Moreno, play 8 different characters rotating throughout the day. Moreno begins the day at the ungodly hour of 8 a.m. as Soleil, all ready at her office located in Times Square.
Dressed in a power-suit wearing chic glasses giving her a more I-will-kick-your-ass look. The executive has a dream that one day women all over the world will feel sexy 24/7 without resorting to wearing low-rise jeans. There are too snug and might cut of vital circulation, she believes. Soleil presents a good argument about the dangers of wearing the flavor of the month fashion. Besides being too snug and showing off ass crack, there’s the pubic hair issue. Wearing the required thong makes the hairs itchy which means embarrassing scratching must take place.
A thong revolution has been declared and she proves it by cutting hers off immediately. The revolution is now televised.
From the racy undies in an upheaval to domesticity, Moreno switches gears at 7:15 p.m. this time in Astoria, Queens as Rachel. She’s got her man Brian (the hysterical and attractive Keenan Henson) all petrified by her erratic behavior. After supplying his boy Joe (Tom Piltuik) with ridiculous rules to avoid confrontation with Rachel, or as he affectionately refers to her as the Human Storm, they continue watching the game. They are ready for her. Well, kinda, sorta but not really.
Unfortunately, the birth control pills Rachel consumes, makes her extremely unpredictable. Between Joe and Brian they fail in trying to anticipate Rachel’s unreliable mood swing. Moreno steals this moment going from normal, frantic, hysterical and tender within warp speed.
Anything can happen in the wee hours as the city wipes away the evidence of sin and seduction and enters into another day. This time Morillo takes us “somewhere in Brooklyn” or better known in hip hop culture “BK”. Spenser Keys (Pitutik) is, according to Jennifer (Katie Locke O’Brien), “a hot underground director.”
She conveniently leaves out the genre—porn. Jennifer is nervous abut doing her first topless scene and reaches out to her BFF Katy (Moreno) as her personal cheerleader. Katy comes in and definitely shakes things up which makes it more complicated, over the top and more entertaining.
AYM will you have you laughing and enjoying yourself through the night. This is a very original concept executed hysterically well from beginning to end.
ANGRY YOUNG WOMEN: IN LOW RISE JEANS WITH HIGH CLASS ISSUES ends this weekend Saturday November 22, plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. For tickets call (323) 960-5774 or log on to www.angryyoungwomen.net
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