Hurlyburly

Tumult arrives at The T. Schreiber Studio when Hurlyburly,
David Rabe’s masterful collage of ’80’s Hollywood social free-fall, directed by
Peter Jensen, opens as the fifth and final presentation in the Studio’s 2003-4,
35th anniversary season.

Although the emotional and social terrain of the play is set in the
1980’s, through the psychic confusion of its main characters, Eddie, Mickey and Phil, Rabe’s probing play re-enacts the unpredictability of the human
condition itself, which always exacts a price.

The story of Hurlyburly begins with Eddie and Mickey, two ambition-driven, hedonistic casting directors who share personal and professional worlds in a posh pad nestled in the Hollywood hills, a place where business mixes easily with pleasure, and drugs, like women, are readily available. The two thrill-seeking friends are frequently joined in their pursuits by Artie, a
slick producer with a penchant for pretty teenagers, and Phil, a vulnerable out-of-work actor with marital problems. Eddie and Mickey, both bachelors with children, get along and agree on just about everything including their contempt for women.

Where they differ is over the emotionally volatile Phil, whom Mickey
dislikes and Eddie feels the need to protect. Their relationship is further tested
by Darlene, Eddie’s occasional girlfriend, who playing fast and rough
herself, goes from Eddie to Mickey. When a spaced-out exotic dancer Eddie has turned to for comfort comes to call, and becomes victim to Phil’s surprisingly brutal behavior, an unexpected chain of events sends Eddie’s life into a tailspin. Unlike Mickey, who retreats under his usual veneer of cynicism, Eddie can confront tragedy and is finally able to turn away from Mickey and look into his own, conflicted self. Only then is he free to make the choice that leads to his discovery of who he is and is not.

There is an additional matinee Saturday, May 29 at 2pm.