"SEXY AS F@#K," INDEED

THEATER REVIEW:

BEWARE OF CUPID

By Glenn Gaylord

I tend to hate hate hate Equity Waiver Theater in Los Angeles. Nine times out of ten, the plays tend to serve merely as a showcase for an aspiring actor's film career, rather than a quality piece of theater unto itself. Not so with the wonderfully funny, charming, smart and moving BEWARE OF CUPID.

Co-written, produced, directed and starring the very talented JULIA CHO, (who I had the pleasure of directing in EATING OUT: ALL YOU CAN EAT, in which she played Chris Salvatore's best friend, Tandy) BEWARE OF CUPID is a play about love and loss. Each of the eight cast members contributed scenes, yet it all feels very cohesive, and has strong emotional through-lines. It helps that the cast is a tight-knit group of friends who dedicated a long time to getting this right. Plus, the cast are sexy as f*ck. [Do I smell a choice pull quote?]

Everyone is given a chance to shine, but here are some of my favorite bits:

- LOVE IN THE TIME OF HIGH SCHOOL - JASON ROGEL and LYNNETTE LI are hilarious in the opening skit (about a High School kid whose crush for a young coed turns a little too stalker-like).

- LOVE IN AN ELEVATOR - ...SANDY YU shows incredible comic timing as her extremely neurotic and needy character goes through 50 million thoughts before handing her card to a handsome elevator rider.

- CHEATING - BENJAMIN KIM (who co-directed), and SARA CEBALLOS hilariously and astutely break down how differently men and women view straying in a relationship.

- BIG MUSICAL PRODUCTION NUMBER - I don't want to spoil the surprise of this hilarious Act 1 closer, but let's just say that it's a combo of THE CELL BLOCK TANGO and a certain extremely famous music video dance routine. Just go with it and it will pay off...

- THE CURIOUS CASE OF RICHARD GODINEZ - JASON ROGEL truly is brilliant in this scene as we watch his crush on a male co-worker unfold. This provides one of many "Awwwww" moments in the play. Truly heartfelt, sad, yet ultimately joyous in one concise little story.

- SEYMOUR AND PLATONIUS - throughout the play, we are treated to a series of scenes that take place among the Gods and Goddesses of Love (Cupid and co.). In this scene, the God of Undoing Love (BENJAMIN KIM) and Platonius (CHRIS MIYASAKI), who is the classic God of "let's just be friends", spar about the destructive powers of Cupid, whose arrows have spread a false sense of love throughout the world. Interesting and very well-acted.

- HEARTBREAK MASH-UP - this is a beautiful musical interlude in which SANDY YU and JARED ASATO really prove their dramatic chops as they expose their lonely hearts as they [strum] sweet chords on their guitars. Nicely staged scene here.

- I JUST CALLED - JARED ASATO and SARA CEBALLOS are a couple who appear in these interstitials throughout the play. We see a couple who just can't seem to communicate with each other, and both actors do a wonderful job here...

- MAGIC - JULIA CHO...This is transportive theater at its best as she takes the audience on a brief yet powerful look at how love can melt the iciest of hearts.

This is a charming, thoughtful, and brisk way to really think about love. Using a bare black stage, minimal lighting, a few stools, and doorways on either side of the stage which are imaginatively used, this play focuses on 8 very talented actors. Screw the Hallmark Holiday sentiments of the craptastic VALENTINE'S DAY and seek out BEWARE OF CUPID, a show that gives you love, laughs and tears. Plus, Julia Cho shows off a great pair of legs, which remained mostly covered up in EATING OUT. Who knew?

BEWARE OF CUPID [closes] this weekend, so book your tickets now! Hopefully, somebody smart will extend this run or better still, move it to a larger venue.

More info: www.bewareofcupid.com

Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/92523