‘Wanderlust’ focuses on types instead of characters

Eric Eberwein's "Great Western Wanderlust" -- winner of Las Vegas Little Theatre's original play competition -- takes us on a train journey from Illinois to California, and on a spiritual quest inside a troubled marriage.

When we enter the tiny Black Box theater, we're greeted by an intriguing set (by Shawn Hackler) that gives off the feeling of those old-style gas station restrooms that were always littered with obscene graffiti. (You can practically smell the urine.) We soon meet 30-somethings Kristi (Stephani Wyatt) and Greg (Thom Chrastka), whose travels are an attempt to rekindle romance. They run into an assortment of loonies who have deep things to say about life and love.

Hackler's direction keeps things moving at a fast pace, and he peppers the play with actors who give the dialogue a near-improvisatory feel. Eberwein's dialogue is clipped and clean.

There are several unexpected pleasures along the way: Vincent Ragazzo's foggy, folksy Ajo Joe, who's as worldly wise as he is nuts; the likable Gabriel Gentile and Cathy Ostertag as two very earthy bikers who have learned to enjoy life on their own terms; Martha Watson as a warm-hearted, philosophical middle-aged passenger; and Eric Carlson, in a brief, quietly moving performance as a sensitive hustler.

What stops this journey from ever picking up speed is that Eberwein has written types instead of characters. Kristi and Greg represent bored, repressed Midwesterners (why are Midwesterners always repressed in plays?), and that's all they are. We never come to understand if their marriage is seriously in trouble, or if they just need a weekend at Dr. Ruth's. They yell a lot, but they just yell jokes. (As Kristi, Wyatt is extremely appealing in her quiet moments, especially in her scenes with Carlson. But she doesn't have enough down time.) When the quirky supporting characters start spurting their shtick, we know all too well how compactly (and falsely) they are going to fit into the script's themes.

I also couldn't tune into the show's (intentional) grubbiness. American train travel is a lot more expensive than bus, and certainly more comfortable than airplane. We don't usually associate seediness with Amtrak. Yet, the script is built on the assumption that we know there's nothing lower in social order than rails.

The strain of the author trying to make a point is always in evidence. If Eberwein would concentrate more on creating real people, he might find his points taking care of themselves.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.