Deep, Dark Journey — South Coast Repertory's 'The Whale'

Directed by company co-founder Martin Benson, South Coast Repertory's powerful left-coast premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale is a dark, allegorical plunge into the chasm of human regret, where the pressure of past wrongs and present despair crushes like miles of ocean above the Mariana.

Down we go, into the $350/month hovel of a suicidal Idahoan named Charlie (Matthew Arkin). The weapons of choice for his self-inflicted euthanasia? Junk food, soda, and tons of it. Charlie does his best to stay anonymous, never surfacing outside, teaching online English comp through a microphone to support his deep-fried self-destruction. We catch Charlie at the end of his long journey into morbid obesity and congestive heart failure when, with less than a week to live, he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. As the play's namesake Arkin is a wonder under those corpulent prosthetics (designed by Kevin Haney). His every labored breath, every chest pain, every perilous journey to a standing position is enthralling.

Charlie's only regular companion (played by an impassioned Blake Lindsley) is Liz, a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed nurse who enables his suicide by constantly bringing him fast food — all the while begging him to go to the hospital, and screaming at anyone else who tries to help him, or dares to smoke in his presence. Lindsley is well-focused on her acrimonious character's good intentions.

As chance/karma/divine appointment would have it, a Mormon missionary knocks on Charlie's door. After helping Charlie recover from a mini infarction, Elder Thomas (a show- stealing Wyatt Fenner) and Charlie form an unusual bond driven by self-interest. Thomas seeks to solidify his own redemption by helping Charlie before his final heart attack; while Charlie wants Thomas to spy on the local Mormon temple, and discover the truth behind his boyfriend's death. Fenner's energy is infectious, his quirky character imbued with a humanity and truthfulness which give the macabre story its brightest glimmer of hope.

Then we meet the abandoned daughter, Ellie (Helen Sadler), who shows up in Charlie's hermitage after he "creepily" calls her phone number, which is of course publicly available on Facebook. She sticks around, and puts up with his trying to love her, because Charlie promises her the $120K he has in the bank. Unlike for Charlie, to whom Ellie appears as a wonderful brilliant angel, for me she had all the lovability of a snapping turtle. Not because Ellie's poorly written, but because Sadler's (believable) portrayal was so enraged, her every word so venomous, it was hard to appreciate the imminent vulnerability beneath her disgruntled shell.

Charlie's ex-wife Mary (a strong Jennifer Christopher) is the last, but far from least, of the story's quintet. She became an exasperated, drunken mess after Charlie left her for a man and her "evil" daughter became an irrepressible teenager. Cristopher and Arkin's tender goodbye is among the most touching moments of the production.

Unfortunately, the play's final moments lack the punch I was hoping for. Not because the narrative payoff was poorly crafted, but because Hunter's stage directions call for a symbolic crescendo of crashing waves. I understand and appreciate the cinematic choice, the reiteration of the whale/Melville/Jonah references; nevertheless, I wish the cantankerous daughter's final words had been quietly poignant rather desperately shouted over sound effects. That would've been a more profound way to demonstrate her character shift and the fulfillment of her father's dying hope. That would've harpooned me much deeper.

The Whale continues at South Coast Repertory until March 31. Go here for tix, or call (714) 708-5555.

 LA theater reviews by LA Theater Critic.