More Than Letters: A Smart, Funny, and Moving New Play About Love and Language
By Dana Benson
Dana.Benson.LA@gmail.com
The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog, a new play by Thomas Yungerberg, directed by Yungerberg and Angela Bruning, is a thoughtful, inventive, and comedic piece of theater that keeps the audience laughing, wincing, and occasionally fighting back tears as we follow forty-year-old graphic designer Stanley (Spencer Weitzel) on his journey to find love and happiness.
Stanley is assigned to create an original font for IKEA, their big new account, by his ad agency bosses (Omar Amir and K. Cody Hunt). Stanley, an artist who doesn’t have a family or a girlfriend, is obsessed with typeface design, and the IKEA project is his big break. As he says, “At my age, how many more chances am I going to get?” The bosses keep rejecting his designs. “Letters are more than letters,” they say; they are symbols, and they want him to create typefaces that make people “feel love” for IKEA. The set, designed by Jason Burns and beautifully lit by Saman Wright, features posters with different fonts and phrases on the walls, reinforcing the idea that this is a play about words.
Stanley—who has never been in love and avoids dating—is frustrated. He doesn’t know how to make a typeface radiate love. He asks his older brother, Chuck (John Michael Young), an auto mechanic with a drinking problem, for advice, and Chuck tells him that if he wants to learn about love, he should ask a girl out. So, Stanley goes on a date with Abigail (Rachel Zapata), a barista, as a “research project.” Stanley’s awkwardness and Abigail’s flirtatiousness lead to many funny moments as they banter back and forth until Stanley reveals something that prompts Abigail to react; the mood shifts, and their relationship becomes more intense.
The play is Yungerberg’s commentary on the importance of words, both written and spoken, in our increasingly digitally connected yet emotionally disconnected modern world. Between scenes, melancholy indie rock, mostly by musician Brad Sucks (that is not a typo, his name is Brad Sucks), reinforces the feeling that life kind of sucks for these trapped characters struggling to escape, as Stanley says, “the pain of feeling like you’re still standing where you started.”
The production features light, comedic parodies layered over an underlying sense of existential despair that appears unexpectedly but doesn’t linger. It features some great twists and surprises—and plenty of laughs. The main characters find their way to happier places.
Spencer Weitzel did a masterful job as Stanley. His nonverbal expressions were effective, his voice filled the theater without seeming strained, and his timing was perfect. Rachel Zapata played Abigail, the barista. Like Weitzel, she is a master of nonverbal expression and dialed up the sexual tension between their characters.
John Michael Young, who bears a slight resemblance to Christian Bale, convincingly played Stanley’s auto mechanic brother with a drinking problem. Victoria Libertore was outstanding as Sarah, the no-nonsense advertising executive who explains the inner workings of the ad industry to Stanley and reveals realities about his job at the agency that he previously misunderstood.
Omar Amir and K. Cody Hunt, playing advertising executives, comically conveyed the double talk, lies, and ruthlessness of corporate life.
I left the theater both entertained and moved by Yungerberg’s comic take on love, language, and the human predicament. Don’t miss this play!
The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog runs through 4/12/26 at the Broadwater Theater Main Stage, 1076 Lillian Way, in Hollywood.
Starring: Spencer Weitzel, Rachel Zapata, John Michael Young, Victoria Libertore, Omar Amir, and K. Cody Hunt
Written by: Thomas Yungerberg
Directed by: Angela Bruning & Thomas Yungerberg
Produced by: Briana Leon, Angela Bruning, Ryan Lisman, and Thomas Yungerberg
Set Design by: Jason Burns
Lighting Design by: Saman Wright