Raunchy drama revives feel of the '80s

Bloomington welcomes the sex, drugs and palm trees of 1980s Hollywood beginning Friday at the John Waldron Arts Center.\nDavid Rabe's "Hurlyburly", brought to the community by the local Detour Theatre Company, promises to entertain and amuse audiences with rapid-fire dialogue reflecting cocaine-fueled masculine passion in an otherwise decade of decadence in America. Rabe's production is intended for mature audiences only due to certain content and foul language, according to the Bloomington Area Arts Council. \n"At first glance the play looks like a bunch of misogynist guys talking -- men in a very superficial time period," said "Hurlyburly" director Richard Perez, an artistic director for the Bloomington Playwright Project. "On a closer examination the play has a lot of great explorations about contemporary male relationships -- struggles to be better people without having the tools to be able to do so. I think part of the challenge is to make these characters multidimensional. In the first read of the script they seem very superficial, but at the core of the play they are really looking for a better way to be in the world." \nThe heart of the play is set around four male characters -- two casting agents, one would-be actor and one who never quite fits in anywhere -- who battle one another in a race to drown their downtrodden fortunes in the back of their throats and to snort their endless troubles up their noises. Throughout the so-called action, which is not in the form of movement but of dialogue, a parade of female characters interacts with the men in an ongoing chorus of male psyche chatter.\nBloomington resident Mike Price, "Hurlyburly's" artistic director, recommends theatre-goers listen for Rabe's repeated imagery layered throughout the dialogue for cues to the underlying meaning behind the play. He said \n"This is a challenging play -- it's not like a 'Hello Dolly,'" Price said. "The purely technical demands on the actors require a strong ensemble and a very high energy level for the entire cast to maintain. The level of themes that are involved in the language are powerful on many levels."\nHollywood is presented as a battlefield where male friendships are illusory, according to the BAAC. Intense, funny, tragic and piercing in its exploitation of men's lives.\nThe cast includes Price, Patrick Doolin, Allison Baker-Garrison, Stephanie Harrison, Steve Heise, Sebastian Tejeda and Amy Wendling. \nPerez said the setting captures the essence of the time period without hitting the audience over the head with Madonna or Cyndi Lauper. He recommended audiences explore the cultural concerns highlighted in the play through the dialogue. \n"I think the play is courageous in its exploration of what it means to be male and female in 1980s Hollywood culture. These people are really adept at using language as weapons," Perez said. "They use language as a way to escape reality when they speak to each other. Although they are trying to connect with language, they end up separating from one another even more ... The issues present when the play was written are issues many men and women still struggle with today. I hope audiences open themselves up to looking at all complexities of the play instead of focusing on just the language or subject matter." \n"Hurlyburly" is playing at 8 p.m. June 17-18, 24 to 25, July 1 to 2 and at 2 p.m. June 26 and July 3 in the John Waldron Arts Center Rose Firebay.Individual tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students and seniors. \nFor more information contact 812-334-3100, ext. 102 or vistit www.artlives.org.