March 27, 2023 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Rainbow Bridge- Summer Faire at Ruskin Group Theatre: Center Stage with Beverly Cohn

Ok. It’s summer. It’s watermelons and hot dogs – potato chips and corn-on-the cob. This is fun food, temporarily filling, but not long lasting or particularly nourishing. I use food as an analogy in reviewing “Rainbow Bridge,” the current summer production on stage at the Ruskin Group Theatre as it kind of fits into the same category. The play, written by Ron Nelson and directed by Michael Myers, is perfectly enjoyable for what it is, but don’t expect a fulfilling theatrical experience.

The story revolves around Jerry (Paul Schackman) kind of a nebbishy guy who is dealing with the euthanization of his pet dog Charley, played by a stuffed animal. He is with a zany veterinarian named Dr. Stein (Jaimi Paige) who, besides being ready to put Charley out of his misery, wants to have sex with Jerry. Jerry is sad at the prospect of Charley’s death so Dr. Stein gives him a rather poignant poem to read over the puppy’s dead body called “The Rainbow Bridge.”* Jerry reads the poem to Charley and has a brief conversation with him telling him that he was a great dog and will be missed. When Jerry finally tells Stein that he’s happily married to Karen (Emily Jerez) and doesn’t wish to have an affair, she breaks down sobbing and he does everything he can to try to console her.

But wait. A dead dog and a Dr. Stein, who is hot for his body, are the least of Jerry’s troubles for somehow the poem has resurrected his dead, nasty, foul-mouthed mother Lois (Lynne Marie Stewart) and his hostile sister Amanda (Mary Carrig). These two rather unlikeable dead relatives, unseen by anyone else, haunt him throughout the rest of the play. They invade his life tormenting him with accusations of being a failure as both a son and a brother. Mom brags about all her affairs, while Jerry boasts that he’s been faithful to his wife. “That’s because you’re lazy,” she shoots back at him. Having conversations with these dead family members creates confusion for other people in his life, as some of his replies to mom and sis appear to be non-sequiturs or downright hostile and not understood by the “living” people around him. His nasty responses eventually lead to serious marital consequences.

Now, Jerry is an attorney and the action switches to a courtroom where he is defending is client Theodore, (L. Emile Thomas) on an arson charge. We hear the voice of the unseen Judge Strauss (Mouchette Van Helsdingen) who throws out the evidence and dismisses the case. Theodore loves his work and mentions that someone is willing to pay him $10,000 to burn down an Olive Garden restaurant. His attorney strongly advises against such action, but in a subsequent turn of events, actually contracts to use his services as an arsonist.

Constantly attacked by mom and sis throughout the play, in desperation Jerry asks his mother what he has to do to get them to return to from wherever they came from. Based on a long held grudge, mom has one simple request: “Kill Harriet Feldman.” He can take the badgering no more and finally agrees to commit the crime. He makes a plan that would involve that sexy Dr. Klein giving him drugs and Theodore setting fire to the house, thereby eliminating what would be left of the corpse. He pays his partner in crime $600 in quarters for the torch job. So now we meet a rather pathetic Harriet Feldman (Mouchette Van Heldsdingen) who is wheelchair bound, almost comatose, and in the advanced stages of dementia. She thinks Jerry is her husband and the arsonist Theodore, who is about to set fire to her home, is her son. Mom suggests that they steal Harriet’s big diamond ring to which the indignant Jerry replies: “ We are here to kill, not to steal.”

So the silly antics continue with a few surprises along the way. Just like summer food, “Rainbow Bridge” will give you a few delicious laughs but with no lingering pleasurable after taste.

L-R: Dr. Stein (Jaimi Paige) examines Jerry’s (Paul Schackman) dog Charley in Ron Nelson’s “The Rainbow Bridge” directed by Michael R. Myers.
L-R: Emily Jerez as Karen, with Paul Schackman as her husband Jerry.

L-R: Lynne Marie Stewart as the dead mom, Mary Carrig as the dead sister Amanda, Paul Schackman as the besieged Jerry, and L. Emille Thomas as your friendly neighborhood arsonist.
Mouchette Van Helsdingen as Harriet Feldman, the intended murder victim, L. Emille Thomas as Theodore, the intended arsonist, and Paul Schackman as Jerry the intended murderer. Photo by Ed Krieger.

*This is actually a very poignant poem giving comfort to those who lose their beloved pets.

Ruskin Group Theatre

3000 Airport Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90405

Run: Fridays and Saturdays: 8 p.m.

Sundays: 2 p.m.

Tickets: $25

Students, Guild Members and Seniors: $20

Reservations: 310. 397.3244

www.ruskingrouptheatre.com .

Closing: September 17, 2017

(Ample free parking)

Related Posts

Valuations for Office Buildings in L.A. Drop 39%

March 27, 2023

March 27, 2023

Transfer tax and low interest rates contributing to decline in L.A. office sales By Dolores Quintana In the city of...

Erewhon Joins Tenants in Fully Leased $150M Culver Steps Development

March 26, 2023

March 26, 2023

Amazon Studios and a ground-floor retail center, including the celebrity and influencer-favorite Erewhon, anchor the 122,000-square-foot complex By Dolores Quintana...

Mid-Century Modern “Dingbat” Style Six-Unit Property in La Cienega Heights Receives Major Renovations

March 26, 2023

March 26, 2023

VF Developments, LLC, in a joint venture with a private investor, repositioned and added capital improvements to bring back its...

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Rejects Extension of Tenant Protections

March 26, 2023

March 26, 2023

County Board of Supervisors votes down measure affecting landlords in unincorporated areas. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted...

California Court Upholds Ride-Share Companies’ Right to Treat Drivers as Contractors

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

Proposition 22 exempted ride-share companies from certain labor laws, court rules in favor of the companies By Sam Catanzaro ​​A...

Culver City Police Arrest Juvenile Suspect in Carjacking of Senior Citizen

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

Authorities are still searching for a second accomplice Police announced Wednesday that they have arrested one suspect in connection with...

Laguna Niguel Man Accused of Swindling $1.6M From Investors, Including Residents of Playa Del Rey Senior Living Center

March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

Federal lawsuit alleges John David Gessin used false pretenses to fund lavish expenses By Sam Catanzaro A Laguna Niguel man...

Famed Hinano Cafe in Venice Replaces Sign, Celebrating Sixty Years of Business

March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

“We put it out to say we’re here for another 60 years,” says owner  By Keemia Zhang The Hinano Cafe,...

Municipalities Are Imposing New Fees and Regulations on Outdoor Dining. Take Our Survey and Share Your Thoughts on This Issue

March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the way we live our lives, and one of the most significant impacts has been...

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel’s AB 1217 Could Help Local Restaurants Avoid Costly Permitting Fees

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

Legislation would preempt local ordinances and preserve regulatory flexibility for struggling neighborhood restaurants By Sam Catanzaro A new bill proposed...

Culver City Expands Ban On Single-Use Plastics

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

Regulations require reusable food service ware for dine-in facilities and ban non-compostable food ware for takeout and delivery Effective January...

Culver City Middle School Student Finishes Second in Statewide Songwriting Contest

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

Eighth-grader Alaya (Lay J) Johnson recently finished second in the statewide Music Notes student songwriting contest.  Culver City Middle School...

LA Institutions of Learning Offer Free Admission to LAUSD Students Amid Strike

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits provide free admission during three-day strike, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens...