Say You Love Satan
By Michael Ciriaco • Posted: February 11th, 2008
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s newest play begins with a promising premise. The pudgy scholar Andrew (Doug Southerland) meets Jack (Elias Gallegos), an uber-chiseled, sweet talking bad boy, only to discover that he’s the only son of Lucifer. Enter the boyfriend from hell. The show breaks conventional expectations by painting Jack, not as a being of pure evil, but as a sensitive character coping with deep father issues. This humanizing aspect makes Jack easily identifiable to WeHo audiences. In fact, the demon spawn’s biggest flaw isn’t malice but intense neediness. Unfortunately, this smart premise is abandoned by Act II when Jack is revealed to be a deceptive personification of absolute evil. Aguirre-Sacasa would have benefited from losing the occult-thriller side of this play and focusing on its Paul Rudnick-esque humor.
The strongest performance of the show comes from Jerrod (Eric Jorgenson), the nice guy foil to Jack’s bad ass. After establishing himself as a nauseatingly saccharine boyfriend archetype, Jorgenson delivers a touching monologue about his volunteer work at a children’s hospice that instantly cuts through his schmaltziness. More performances like this would have ascended the play above what it is: a mediocre gay occult comedy. It’s not hellish, but it never quite heavenly.
OUR RATION: 3/5 stars
SAY YOU LOVE SATAN runs through February 24 at the Attic Theatre & Film Center at 5429 W. Washington Blvd. between Hauser & Fairfax in Culver City, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $20. Running time is 120 minutes. Ample street parking available. For reservations, call 323-525-0600 x2# or visit www.plays411.com/satan.
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Michael Ciriaco is Associate Editor of Real Gay L.A. An accomplished writer and actor, he matriculated from Rutgers University, the Circle in the Square Conservatory, Michael Howard Studio and Second City LA, where he continues to write and act. Mike has also been published in The Medium and Frontiers Magazine. You can currently find his work online at www.specialedfilms.com, www.NotABanana.com, and www.outlisciousTV.com. Look for Mike in the interactive feature The Weathered Underground which will release early 2008.
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