EXECUTIVE BRIEFCASE:
LOBBY HERO
West Coast premiere play by Kenneth Lonergan. Directed by Olivia Honegger. On the South Coast Repertory Mainstage, Costa Mesa, through Mar. 24. Call (714) 708-5555 or visit www.scr.org.
The media ravaged “Lobby Hero” when it made its recent West Coast debut on the South Coast Repertory Mainstage. Critics slammed writer Lonergan and director Honegger. They have their points, because the play is certainly uneven. This tale of a sad sack security guard (played with hangdog slyness by Kevin Corrigan) in a Manhattan high-rise apartment weighed down with a “moral dilemma” buckles under its own pretentiousness in Act Two. Honegger points Corrigan’s droopy-drawered buttocks to the audience so often we could have sketched it for an art class. However, “Lobby Hero” is not without merit. The opening act crackles with comic energy, like a sophisticated sitcom. Given the play’s best zingers, Corrigan delivers his lines with the dryness of a martini, letting us know he’s much smarter than his lot in life might suggest. Taking a cue from the titular character, use your head by making late reservations at your favorite restaurant, yuk it up in act one, then skip out at intermission to enjoy a relaxing dinner. n
, Daniel D. Williams
