Pale Fire

Anne Kelly-Saxenmeyer
Mirror contributing writer

   Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This” (debuted in 1987) takes place in the lower Manhattan loft of Anna, a dancer mourning the accidental death of her roommate and muse, a gifted young dancer named Robbie who had been shepherding her through the transition from dancer to choreographer. Nearly two months after the accident and Anna’s humiliation at playing “grieving widow” for Robbie’s family, who neither knew he was gay nor ever saw him dance, Robbie’s older brother Pale pays Anna a pre-dawn visit to pick up Robbie’s things. Hot-blooded, blisteringly frank, and cynical about the whole “arty” thing, Pale disturbs Anna’s insulated existence. The two butt heads, cry together and end up in bed. Pale leaves as suddenly as he arrived, but not before igniting the spark that will inspire Anna’s truest work.
   In director Jessica Kubzansky’s production, the impact of Pale’s arrival is particularly dramatic. It comes after an unpromising start, in which Anna (Christina Carlisi) recalls the events of Robbie’s death and burial at breakneck speed with her other roommate, Larry (David Brouwer), and her casual boyfriend, Burton (Blake Boyd). Because no one seems to be listening to or fully experiencing Carlisi’s account, including Carlisi, the character of the loss fails to materialize.
   Fortunately that disconnectedness (which feels like an acting problem in the first scene) also happens to be a logical symptom of the way Wilson’s characters are living. Similarly, the deepening that actor Dean Biasucci brings to the production mirrors the collision of Pale with Anna’s world. From Biasucci’s first line, delivered off stage no less, one could feel the audience perk up. Not only does he make a compelling Pale — volatile, sensual and certain, with a touch of heavy-footed Christopher Lloyd bluster — he’s the kind of actor who makes other actors better. After his entrance, interactions on stage took on a denser moment-to-moment truth, and the level of performance rose across the board. Carlisi became a believable and surprising Anna. And the focus sharpened on Boyd’s self-involved writer and Brouwer’s bright, loving, gay ad man (who offered funny moments throughout).
   Along with the usual grace of her staging, Kubzansky’s addition of three short dance sequences by choreographer Kitty McNamee is extremely effective. Used sparingly and carefully integrated as not to disturb the flow of the play, McNamee’s dances (performed by the liquid-spined Bethany Scheer and her able partner Preston Mui on the night reviewed) are haunting and evocative, as is James McVay’s original music.
   Yael Pardess has designed an expansive loft set with multiple play spaces, including a long fire escape that McNamee makes memorable use of. Jeremy Pivnick provides appropriate lighting for the strange hours that the characters keep. And sound designer Steve Goodie recreates the nighttime noise of New York City as heard through an open window. “Burn This” at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda, W.L.A. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m. Sun. 3 p.m. through Mar. 17. $20. (310) 477-2055.