REVIEW: “JAILBAIT” BY ALLIANCE REP @ EDISON VALLEY PLAYHOUSE

In these days of easy pick-ups and hook-ups, the idea that high school girls would dress up and attempt to enter a club would not surprise most adults (unless they're parents who refuse to consider that their teens would ever do that), but that grown men would be fooled by the ruse and act on their impulses like randy high school boys is mind-boggling!

That is exactly the point of Jailbait, a drama with comic relief penned by Deidre O'Connor, a production by Alliance Repertory Theater now onstage at the Edison Valley Playhouse where it runs through October 27. Under Michael Driscoll's taut direction, four talented actors take us on a rollercoaster ride through such a bar scene and its uncomfortable aftermath.

Of course, the title says it all. Wild child blonde bombshell Emmy convinces her more serious "friend" Claire to sneak out of the house, pose as a college girl and join her on a visit to a club where she plans to hook up with a guy she met the week before. Depressed since her father's death earlier in the year and flattered by Emmy's attention, Claire reluctantly assents. What she doesn't know is that the two "guys" are men in their early thirties, one of them, Mark, an oversexed hunk and his friend Robert, who is still grieving since his girlfriend of six years dumped him and who has been coerced by Mark to move on by joining him at the club for some fun. That they want to fake being 21 again presents dangers for them too.

O'Connor mostly focuses on the interplay between Claire and Robert, with intermittent boozy appearances by Emmy and Mark. The latter couple gets completely blotto, while the former tentatively get to know each other while remaining relatively clear-headed. What ensues when Mark finds out the girls are only fifteen is both hilarious and sobering. By the final scene, all four characters, most notably the girls, have learned some sad and profound lessons about the friendship and the sexual vicissitudes of life.

Probably the hardest roles to play are those of the two girls, but Melinda Grace (left) and Melissa Toomey (right) manage to convey the impression that they actually are high school sophomores. O'Connor has written dialogue for them, especially Emmy, that is full of teenage verbal tics, which makes them more convincing. Grace is over the top as the chick hot for a night on the town with an older guy; evidently she's done this before, and her enthusiasm for the adventure makes her sad utterances at the end all the more poignant. Toomey's hesitation is writ so large that we want to yell "Stop!" before she agrees to go with Emmy, so great is the danger for this serious, naive young woman. Toomey's continual pushing her hair behind her ears and her awkward stance in a very short dress and stiletto heels should set alarm bells off in her "date" Robert's head. Indeed, I kept waiting for him to discover the ruse, but that doesn't happen until the penultimate scene.

One reason Robert doesn't realize Claire's extreme youth is evident in Carmine Coviello's convincing portrayal of a man so depressed by a recent breakup (and a six-year hiatus from the club scene) that he's flattered by a young woman's attentions and her willingness to listen to him. Coviello's hangdog expression conveys sadness very well, and his reaction to learning that the underage girl he has just had sex with is jailbait (statutory rape would be the charge) is both measured and considerate. In contrast, Peter Kendall's Mark (left) is literally off the wall when he comes to Robert's apartment to deliver the horrible news; he's more concerned with his saving own hide than what has happened to the girls. Kendall hops around the stage like a teenager, all swagger and smuttiness, anxious for a hook-up and not too discerning about his partner's age and/or experience. Robert may feel like a dirty old man who asks, "Did 21 get younger all of a sudden," but Mark carries condoms in his pocket and offers one to Robert like they are chewing gum!

Kevin Gunther's use of blank panels and a bunch of props (there's even a toilet for the ladies' room!) make it easy to change scenes with little ado, which makes the 90 minutes or so fly quickly by. Michael Driscoll and Brad Howell's music is appropriate for club dancing, and Lilli Marques's costumes help convey the characters' inner psyches very well. Emmy's orange mini-dress screams sex while Claire's black number, while equally as short, seems more subdued. (I especially loved the fact that Claire wears her ponytail elastic on her wrist!)Ditto Mark's corduroy pants and plaid sport shirt (though they look more rumpled than club sharp) show his cluelessness while Robert's business slacks and shirt (he’s removed his tie to make his outfit more casual) illustrate just how out of touch with the dating scene he is.

Jailbait presents us with the sad consequences of what can happen when teens adopt fake identities and sneak into nightclubs meant for those 21 and older. But it's not just the girls who are affected by the experience; the two older men learn a lesson the hard way about being more vigilant about the women they approach with more than just a drink on their minds. Alliance Rep once again shows us they can bring off-beat and unsettling plays to the public's attention and do it well. With Jailbait, this theater troupe shows us why it deserves our support.

Jailbait will be performed at the Edison Valley Playhouse, 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison, through October 27, Friday & Saturday evenings at 8 PM, Thursday, October 25, at 8 PM and Sunday, October 21, at 2 PM. For information and tickets call 908.755.4654 or visit online at www.evplayhouse.com.

Photos by Howard Fischer.