"Rank" at The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Rank

 

 

“Rank” at The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is a play with many stories to tell. It’s a comic thriller with a lot of intrigue and excitement, and also a somewhat dark look at humanity and the many choices we face in life. It’s a play about friendship, loyalty and position. Robert Massey layers all of this into his relatively new work, and although it could be edited down a bit, The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s American premiere of the play is an engaging production that handles the text well.

Its exciting to see new works like this so adeptly produced and staged, and The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble does a stellar job at making this new work, set in another country, starring men with very foreign accents so accessible and familiar to the American audience. Scenic Designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz created flexible playing spaces that are easily capable to evoke multiple locations. Their simplicity is perfect for the actors to roam fluidly between scenes. Director Wilson Milam uses the set well, encouraging his actors to inhabit every inch of the stage. Milam’s direction creates effortless storytelling. His staging is natural and easily creates drama and engaging scene work.

Massey’s dark drama-dy explores the lives of working class men in Ireland. The plot centers on Carl (Kevin Kearns), a cabbie that must pay off a gambling debt to the local casino owner, Jackie (Ron Bottitta), or face dire consequences. When he realizes he cannot pay off the money in time, Carl seeks help from his father in law, George (Anthony B. Cohen), who is also Jackie’s former best friend. The pair is given an option to work off the debt by going on a run to find a black bag for Jackie.

When Carl and George find the bag they discuss the idea of opening it up, seeing what they were actually dealing with. Was it the money from a heist that had been recently reported in the news? Was it a bag full of weapons? George begins to question even finishing the job, discussing the idea that at this moment, Carl has a choice. He can become an accessory to crime and the dirty money lifestyle or run, start a new clean life, free of his debts and his past. Carl contends that he must finish the job, but maybe he will look inside the bag and truly know his potential consequences. George is adamant that if they do open it, Jackie will know. Carl insists that Jackie will never know.

This scene is one that has stuck with me now for several days. It is a beautifully lit scene, thanks to Lighting Designer Derrick McDaniel, one that’s in the shadows and feels very intimate. George and Carl stand in a darkened, moonlit place, staring at the bag filled with what’s most likely dirty money. They debate their options, whether to open the bag, whether to even continue with the job, etc. It is during this scene that George attempts to encourage Carl to do the right thing.

George tells Carl his own story. How he was once thousands of dollars in debt due to his own gambling. How his actions had placed him at the lowest point of his life. How he finally decided to change his life, to stop gambling, and start making money the honest way. Anthony B. Cohen, as George, delivers a monologue of heartbreak and woe. His work throughout the show is touching, but it is in this scene, and his monologue, that this man’s vulnerability is palpable. Massey’s writing is at it’s best in a scene like this, one of simple, human emotion. And the natural rhythm of the Irish accents really do show off the almost poetry-like writing of the play.

I really feel that this theme, one of choice and taking ownership over one’s actions and subsequent consequences, is an important message.  I want to believe that our protagonist, Carl, did the right thing in the end, since we are led on a journey to be rooting for him and against the crime boss Jackie. But I started to wonder about the true outcome of his actions… Without giving too much away, he seemed meaner and cockier by the end of the play. He seemed to have lost respect towards his Father-in-Law, George. It made me wonder if anything really changed for him or maybe it simply manifested itself differently. Is it even possible for humanity’s dark side to ever change or evolve? Or are we all doomed to follow in the footsteps we have laid before us? Does the choice exist, and if so, will we ever be strong enough to choose the right thing? Perhaps the most exciting thing about the life is the option to choose.

“Rank” is titled as such to remind the audience of one’s position in life. Even though all of these men are categorized as part of the working class of Ireland, they rank and compare themselves to each other to establish order and power. For the majority of the show, Jackie has the power. His threats are terrifying, and cause the other characters in the play to do his bidding. But a shift of power happens at the climax, and we see men standing up to Jackie, slowing chipping away at the power and hold he had once had over these men.

Many have said that power corrupts, and even though I won’t give away the ending and tell you who ends up with the power, I will say that this play adeptly explores this concept. We watch our protagonists and antagonists struggle against each other, and like many fairy tales from my childhood, I hope that the hero will win. But life is not easily ranked into a win or loss column. The hero will not always act heroic, and the villain can earn the audience’s. I appreciate Massey’s desire to analyze this dilemma, and although the ultimate ending comes across somewhat formulaic, it works well as a way for me to reconsider my thoughts on all the characters in the play.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s

 Rank by Robert Massey 

runs Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm 

and Sunday at 2 pm through May 12 at 

2055 South Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025. 

Call (310) 477 2055 for tickets or visit 

The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble online at www.OdysseyTheatre.com.