Table Talk

The Acting Studio in Hollywood shows considerable promise with Apartment 3A

Comments (0) By Ronald Mangravite Thursday, Jun 6 2002

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Some of this weakness must be laid at the feet of director St. Leon, who appears to have reined in some of the play's potential contradictions. In the second act, Elliot discovers that Annie is less in love with him than with her fantasies about Donald. It's a humiliating revelation in which love, sorrow, and anger collide -- and one that echoes Annie's own sexual betrayal. The audience really shouldn't know what will happen next in this explosive situation. But St. Leon keeps her cast in pretty tame territory -- you know that Elliot is just going to suck it up and suffer bravely and that Annie is going to see the light about him sooner or later. The result is a Hollywood ending that's not in much doubt. These reservations aside, there is also not much doubt about this Hollywood beginning. Apartment 3A marks a promising start to what I hope will be a vibrant and popular new theater venue and a creative home where all this talent -- St. Leon, Anthony, and company -- can thrive.

Come and knock on our door....

Details

Presented by the Acting Studio Stage Company;954-929-4553.

2450 Hollywood Blvd, 3rd floor, Hollywood

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Readers of this column might also be interested in a new local theatrical magazine, Profiles, that has just begun publication. Robert Alpert, the peripatetic president of the Acting Studio, decided to publish Profiles to help fill a media gap in the arts community: "The papers cover the shows, but the theater and film scene here needs more coverage of people, available services, and long-range trends." To that end, Alpert places the free quarterly in theaters, agencies, and community centers around the region.