THE DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT – Beverly Hills Playhouse
Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
MUST SEE – Electric!
Passionate, brave, and deeply emotional, this production is fueled by impressive talent who doesn’t waste a moment of their time on the stage and gives us a fascinating performance of a subject that needs to be explored and understood. Strikingly memorable writing and outstanding storytelling. This stormy production is not-to-be-missed!
From the very beginning they grabbed us by the throat, and the grip did not let us go until the very end. The audience was glued to the stage, I don’t think anybody was breathing, intensely listening, and living every moment through these frightening and important issues.
Matt Le Nevez (Sterling) opened the show with a dazzling performance as the college professor lecturing us on ‘What is money?.’ A compelling and entertaining class on introductory economics and banking exposing the unfolding catastrophe of the leaky container, designed with holes, where our money is stored. A powerful and intense lecture, which should be taught in colleges and universities, is accompanied by grave consequences. You guessed it! A shut down of the lecture, and the loss of his position as a popular college professor.
Peter O’Connor (Ethan), the owner of the theatre, whose life is being decimated by the closure of his theatre and forced to sell. It is exposed how many small businesses were ruined by brutality of government policy, looking after their own interest only. Nick Hagen (Officer Lopez) who lost his job just a few months ago and who has become a government employee is now exercising his authority and goes about mercilessly destroying people’s talents and their businesses. Hagen wears the officious mantel well. Ethan, seriously agitated by being accused of political exposure, spends the night in jail and his wife Cameron Meyer (Lori/’LT’) pays the price for his choice of action and loses her job. What a scene that is! Magnificent work all round!
Jason Chiumento (Lucif), currently training at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, fleshes out this fascinating character who demonstrates his acumen as a smart, young guy who completely understands his professor and has a plan for what to do next. Jason holds his own amidst a veteran cast and most certainly has a bright future to look forward to. One to watch!
Jody Booth (Lisa), a lawyer who has her classmates all over government agencies, is bold in not understanding her sister Lori and her husband who need help, until their issue is resolved. Those two sisters are portrayed with vast diversity in their points-of-view. What a powerful actress! This scene contains so much argument on all sides that we cannot help but laugh. Family in a nutshell.
Emily Chapman (Eva – A.I. Voice) gives us the saccharine-sweet voice of A.I., reminding us of what we are up against in our lives – talking to A.I. daily. Perfect artificial intelligence! It’s sobering, for sure.
All the actors cover their roles with strong determination and precise character development, especially Mia Christou (Penny) who is a magnetic actress. Christou created this complex and enjoyable character, whose every move is determined with lioness-like precision. A brilliant performance!
Produced by Mia Christou (also a set designer), this risky and vibrant play is written and directed by Allen Barton who says, ’Like many people, I had more time on my hands during Covid than I was used to, and I started reading about the history of money, then banking, economic theory, and the development of Bitcoin, which is one of the more fascinating stories I’ve ever read. In 2008, someone assembled decades of ‘cypherpunk’ work in digital currency into a system that has run ever since, and that someone has never been identified. Was Satoshi Nakamoto one person? Two? Many people working under a single pseudonym? We may never know. A recent documentary made the case that ‘he’ was two programmers working together, and that idea stayed with me as I wrote.’
This is why we love theatre – experiencing something like this production and what it gives us. The Difficulty Adjustment holds a high bar: great writing, fantastic acting, and a story that goes beyond our understanding, with an intent to figure out the world we live in …
Creatives are Collin Bernsen (set design), a carpenter, artist, writer and product designer and developer, whose backdrop looked like stacked tablets of gold in the bank. Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Designer), David Bello (Stage Manager), and Sofia Macias (Projection Design & Board Operator). Sandra Kuker PR is taking care of Publicity and Marketing. What Teamwork!
I looked around the theatre and watched the audience totally absorbed and laughing and gasping; I thought, “I hope everyone can get to experience this production. It is a fantastic play.”
This passionate, real, and dynamic storytelling, is running as a Beverly Hills Playhouse world premiere from November 8th until November 29th, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. The show running time is 140 minutes, including intermission.
The tickets are $40, $20 for Students and they can be purchased at https://www.bhplayhouse.com