An evening of 'Desire' An evening of 'Desire' (January 20, 2006)

Red Lantern Theatre Company charms audiences with short tales on love

By Molly Tanenbaum

Red Lantern Theatre Company is just an infant, born last November when producer and Mountain View resident Allison Asher chose its name to symbolize luck, perseverance, passion and solace.

The company's first production, "Desire: An Evening of Plays on Love," has already filled the Pear Theater for two nights in a row last weekend, and has only three shows left this weekend. The play's tagline, "Five witty, tender and sexy plays about man's most enduring emotion," says it all. Within the five one-acts that make up "Desire," there is something for everyone.

Though the cast is young -- the baby of the bunch being Irina Khodorkovsky, a Monta Vista High School senior who plays the charming, garrulous Ashbe in Beth Henley's "Am I Blue" -- this is not amateur theater. Most of the cast members in "Desire" are recent graduates or current students at the Foothill Theater Conservatory, a 30-student, audition-only actor training program that lasts two years, and from which Asher graduated last May.

Asher, a transplant from Texas who has lived in the Bay Area for about six years and worked as a research assistant at Stanford, has been involved in acting, off and on, for about a decade. After graduating from Foothill, she decided it was time to start her own production company with the help of classmate Lance Gardner. The two both direct and act in "Desire."

Through Foothill, Asher also met Diane Tasca, who is the artistic director at the Pear and let Asher rent the space for her debut production.

"Desire" has a cast of eight, each appearing in one or more of the five one-acts. Asher selected each play from books of one-acts, to fit within the common theme of desire.

Within the theme, each of the five examines a different element of desire: There are two love triangles, a fantasy, commitment issues, and an unlikely romance. But what becomes clear is that desire is the feeling of not quite getting what you want or need when you want or need it. Furthermore, what you think you want may not be what you need.

Take the quick opening act, "Compatible," by Anna Li. It's a seesaw of emotions between a man who is afraid of commitment and a woman who knows exactly what she wants. But what reveals itself is a love so strong that it nearly pushes the two apart instead of closer together. Asher and Gardner play the two lovers, and their strong performances make "Compatible" the perfect entry point into a further exploration of desire.

"All about Al," by Cherie Vogelstein, seemed to be the audience favorite last Saturday night. It's the comedy of the bunch, and was a treat, especially for Woody Allen fans. Alan Kaiser plays Lenny, a nebbish who is equally struck by love for his friend's girlfriend as he is by allergy season. Lenny's foil is his friend Gil, played remarkably by George Psarras. Gil has everything Lenny lacks: confidence with women, sex appeal and machismo.

But through their exchange over morning coffee while Gil is waiting to dump his girlfriend Allison, the audience discovers that Lenny has that Gil doesn't -- an ability to love, commit and appreciate what he has. Gil seems to be channeling Gardner's character in "Compatible," at times breaking down into utter honesty and admitting his true feelings.

In the future, Asher says, she hopes her casts can be a mix of Foothill and other South Bay actors. But for now, she's just happy to see her first production attract such a positive response. "Desire" was funded entirely out of Asher's pocket, so she hopes to develop funding sources and pursue some full-length plays.

"I went into this thing with a sink-or-swim attitude," she said. "I wanted some more directing opportunities for myself. Now I think I might be ready for it."
INFORMATION: What: Red Lantern Theatre Company's "Desire: An Evening of Plays on Love" Where: The Pear Avenue Theater, 1220 Pear Avenue Unit K, Mountain View When: Remaining shows are Jan. 20-22 at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 7 p.m. on Sunday Tickets: $15, $10 for students To purchase: Call (650) 274-6721 or visit www.redlanterntheatre.com To see The Pear's upcoming productions, visit www.thepear.org

E-mail Molly Tanenbaum at mtanenbaum@mv-voice.com

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