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The Road presents “Sleeping Giant”

I have said before in these pages that I think Steve Yockey is one of the most original playwrights currently working. His combination of dark humor, oddball subject matter (ghosts, demons, giant cephalopods) and incisive character work is sui generis. His play Mercury—also staged at the Road Theatre last yearwas a terrific display of his varied talents and was also a critical and commercial success. This latest play of his at The Road, the west coast premiere Sleeping Giant, is also weird and entertaining, but ultimately doesn’t pull together quite as strongly.

The play is composed of seven related sequences, some with new characters and some with continuing ones, with four actors each playing multiple roles. In the first segment, Alex (Jacqueline Misaye) and Ryan (Eric Patrick Harper) are arguing in their lake house about the misuse of fireworks when their friend Billy (Justin Lawrence Barnes) bursts in to inform them that a massive creature has arisen from the depths of the lake, and he’s seen its gigantic eyeball and tentacles. Life quickly changes in the surrounding town, and a murderous cult begins worshipping the creature, including the previously timid Barbara (Andrea Flowers), resolutely wearing her feathered “fascinator.” Death, terror and cake follow, as the lake begins to grow larger.

Production photos credit – Brian Graves.

Misaye is quite good in all of her roles, but is perhaps most memorable as Jill, a woman who shows up at her sister’s house with a baggie of miracle “fish meat” to share. Harper is great throughout, but especially shines as Dan, a man who discovers that his boyfriend was unfaithful to him during a two-week absence, but in a continually more disturbing way. Barnes is terrific and particularly amusing as a “very old thing” who’s somewhat annoyed to be overshadowed by the lake monster. Finally, Flowers is very funny, most notably as the cheerfully resigned Mable – “There’s hope. Or there’s cake.”

Director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky gets excellent performances from her ensemble, but visually the show seems somewhat static. Ben Rock’s projection design is good, but I couldn’t help wanting to eventually see an appearance of the lake monster. Also, the concluding special effect in this production didn’t seem effective; the characters don’t even mention it. Yockey’s writing is still funny and dark, but the different segments don’t seem to add up to anything greater by the play’s finish.

I enjoyed Sleeping Giant, however, and I hope more of Steve Yockey’s work gets produced in Los Angeles.   

Sleeping Giant is presented by and at The Road Theatre Company and plays through February 23, 2025. Tickets and info are available here.

Terry Morgan

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