My overall impression
Mr. Galuszka’s fully realized one act play Poison Apple premiering at the Hollywood Fringe Festival last night, packs a wallop of drama, biting humor, and surprising pathos in its brisk 70 minutes. Susan Lambert’s deft direction thoughtfully realizes the sexual pas de deux with the characters, their attraction to danger and its violent implications. Without giving away the plot, Paul, a young, lonely and disconnected New Yorker (Chris Sams) has a random encounter with Jerry, a flirtatious, back-packing hipster (Sean Galuszka) in which there are a series of miscommunications that lead to a devastating conclusion .
As Paul, Mr. Sams brings to mind a post –modern Jack Lemmon , cynical and biting one moment, and then heart-breaking in his palpable pain. For him, New York City has become a welcoming prison, and his small apartment a fussed over prison cell. He wears his rejection of contemporary gay life like a thick armor despite his visible attraction to Jerry in a beautifully nuanced performance.
Mr. Galuszka, as Jerry evokes a sexual bravado that is all together intense, funny and sometimes frightening. Jerry knows what he wants, and is giddy with the fun of the chase. Watching these two characters trying to carry on the simplest of conversations and make some sort of connection has the audience volleying in their alliance that all too quickly changes as each character reveals their truth. Galuszka’s script brilliantly keeps us uncertain, guessing and even gasping at one crucial point. Mr. Sams and Mr. Galuszka sustain such intensity and work beautifully together as to have one forget they are actually watching a play.
While Poison Apple perhaps owes a small debt to such plays as Deathtrap, Extremities, or even Birdbath, it solidly stands on its own. The performance I attended at the Celebration Theater took place in the smaller rehearsal room which tended to add to its intimacy, though made for a rather warm space. Theater is not only alive and well in Hollywood, buy I dare say with Poison Apple, relevant.
