Michael Lanahan
David Wilcox
Jaime Andrews
Adam Bitterman
Lisa Anne Nicolai

John Sylvain
Aaron Francis
Hans Gelpke
John Fabricant
C.M. Gonzalez

Stage Manager
Assistant Director
Fight Coordinator
Costume Designers

Sound Designer
Lighting & Set Designer
Prop Designer
Graphic Designer
Press Photographer
Producers


Associate Producer

REVIEWS

L.A. Splash

In David Rabe’s dark humor “Goose And Tomtom” we are allowed to witness two co-dependant wannabe wise guys struggle to navigate the blurred line between insanity and reality, hope and anguish, in their delusional existence as small-time jewel thieves. 

Within their strange and unsettling friendship this story unfolds. It’s a delicate balance where each one is the others indicator, struggling moment to moment to be certain they are maintaining some sort of a grip on their lost lives. They consistently engage in macho posturing and verbal dance which gets up to dizzying speeds of hilarious back and forth psychotic banter which keeps each other’s sanity in check and is sheer delight for the audience. Michael Lanahan (Goose) and David Wilcox (Tomtom) metamorphosized into their two characters innately, which made it a very rich theatrical experience.

Attached to Goose and Tomtom is the controlling, sultry Lorraine (Jaime Andrews), who has these two hair-trigger loose cannons eating out of her hand. They are at her beck and call and will do anything to the point of murder to win the continuing approval and affections of their ideal female fantasy.

The drama unfolds as Lorraine announces that her stolen jewels have been stolen. They suspect the culprit is their nemesis, Bingo (Adam Bitterman), who’s sister, Lulu (Lisa Anne Nicolai), is their kidnapped prisoner, to be used as ransom and whatever else they choose. They feel that by standing up and defeating their ultimate rival, they will have somehow circumvented their own demons. This all culminates as a big surprise as unsuspected forces dramatically intervene and the characters encounter violent resolutions to their situations.

Within the twisted inroads of all of the character’s fragile and tormented emotional states, lies the most basic elements behind all human needs.

-- Jane Emery
©2005 L.A. Splash

BackStage West

David Rabe's very wordy 1987 play is a tough one to render, mainly because it's surreal or absurdist--or at best weird--and its dialogue is so jumbled, ambiguous, and nonsensical that one can only take a wild stab at what Rabe is trying to get at. 

Two paranoid, emotionally spastic, low-level gangsters--Goose (Michael Lanahan) and Tomtom (David Wilcox)--are puppets of the sensuous Lorraine (Jaime Andrews). When the guys aren't trying to out-macho each other, they're trying to find their moll's stolen jewels. The gems might have been taken by Bingo (Adam Bitterman), whose sister Lulu (Lisa Anne Nicolai) has been kidnapped by the guys and is hanging, very much alive, in their back closet. 

To sell this type of material, an actor must get involved with the text of the writing, rather than the style, and play it for real. In a fine turn Lanahan is 100 percent onboard both ways--with the eccentricities of his character and with the piece. Wilcox is nearly there but occasionally is caught acting. Bitterman does a splendid job in the only near-normal role, bringing a much-needed cohesion to the second act. Andrews takes a bit of time to ease into her character and gains more control of the role in the second half of the play. Nicolai puts Lulu as out-there as Rabe's writing calls for. 

Director Joe Jordan (also sound design), with an assist from Aaron Francis, keeps the action on the fast tract with crisp pacing. Francis is also responsible for the light design, as well as a clever and appropriately dull set design, which gets literally demolished and has to be rebuilt every day, nearly from scratch.

-- Dave DiPino
©2005 BackStage West

Accessibly Live Off-Line

The Sacred Fools Theater in Hollywood presents David Rabe's surreal black comedy, GOOSE AND TOM-TOM, a tale about a pair of two-bit hustles, a dame, a second dame "in storage", and a a load of jewels from a heist that has gone astray.

Michael Lanahan is Goose, and David Wilcox is Tom-Tom. They play a set of small time gangsters working in a large urban city. Tom-Tom lives is a crummy apartment, complete with rundown mismatched furniture, and assorted 'tools or the trade' (i.e. guns, construction tools, etc). Tom-Tom is tough but slighted dimwitted. Goose is also tough, but more the 'brains' of the outfit. They share some common bonds, including their 'sharing' of Lorraine, the resident 'doll' that seems to only provide the sex part of the show. A recent caper involved the kidnapping of Lulu (Lisa Anne Nicolai) the kid sister of rival gangster Bingo (Adam Bitterman). Lulu is just kept in the closet as storage, with an occasional 'taking advantage of' by Goose. Lorraine discovers that some jewels Goose and Tom-Tom stole in some heist appears to be missing. Perhaps Bingo was responsible in the disappearance --- or was it from something else that Tom-Tom may have dreamt?

This play isn't just another gangster melodrama. To be exact, this play is a strange mix of Damon Runyon meets David Mamet meets an invisible film noir crime flick, with more "noir" than "film"! It's a funny drama, while it's a dramatic comedy. In other words, if one is expecting a production full of guns, booze, murders, and a moll, one will receive such but not the way it's usually attended! Resident Sacred Fools Theater director Joe Jordan is on helm to direct this play that offers plenty of visuals complete with colorful characters -- nothing from the "dees", "dems", and "does" school of thought!

Also in the cast as John Fabricant, Aaron Francis, C. M. Gonzalez, Hans Gelpke, and John Sylvain as five other "gangsters" that later pay a visit to Tom-Tom's joint.

One has to hand it to The Sacred Fools Theater Company. No matter what kind of show they may present, be it a comedy, drama, or in this case, a crime adventure, one should never expect to see the same ol' same old! This in fact is not only a good thing, but it's a GREAT thing! To use a now tired phrase, this theater "thinks out of the box" (whatever the "box" means) to present theater that is new(er) and different! While some smaller theatre companies (playing in houses with 99 seats and less) tend to dish out the same standard ho-hum plays that have been run to the ground too many times, the Sacred Fools stands out from this pack! When they produce a show, the 'Fools' deliver, and the theater attendees will always get their money's worth! There are plenty of places to experience dull and bland theater. The Sacred Fools will never be on one one of those stops along the gravy train route express! All aboard indeed!

-- Rich Borowy
©2005 Accessibly Live Off-Line