Robert Riechel Jr. is a triple–hyphenate: he writes, directs, and acts in his new work, now playing at the Hudson Guild Theatre, called Eat The Runt. Riechel plays an aspiring writer who doesn’t know he is talentless. He kidnaps a critic (Peter Leake) who has given him a bad, a really bad, review, and proceeds to torture him until the critic does a rewrite.
Riechel’s character, Buck Lone, is brutish and crude, but fancies himself a man of poetry and compassion whose hero is Samuel Beckett. We get to hear passages from his play, and he is definitely not a Beckett. Lone is more like Mamet but without the ability.
The play succeeds on many levels. The writing is humorous as well as compelling. There is, however, nothing particularly new in writing about an artist who is supersensitive about a review and kidnaps and tortures the offender. My favorite of this genre is Vincent Price’s Theatre of Blood, in which Price dispatches the critics using Shakespeare (Titus Andronicus among others) as his guide. Across town right now is another play with a similar plot, Desperate Writers. The only real excitement in this otherwise predictable evening comes from the performances by the actors.
The playwright is a strong presence, but sometimes he seems a bit out of control. Then again, his character is out of control. It might have been better if he'd had a different director. His own direction was absorbing, but he needed an outside eye.
Victoria Engelmayer plays Buck’s sexpot groupie girlfriend who loves to have sex with writers. She fancies herself an artist because she makes macramé. She has good comic timing. Peter Leake plays the critic convincingly. He is an actor of great skill, and is pleasant to watch even when he is acting like a, well, a critic.
Eat The Runt is a comedic exercise in sex and violence with some brief nudity thrown in (we see Leake’s butt). The dialogue is snappy. One thing that didn’t work for me was having Buck’s play chosen by the great Chicago company Steppenwolf for a full production. The story depends on the fact that the writer has written a terrible play. Better for him to receive a closing notice that would put the final nail in his coffin and incite him to further retribution.
Eat The Runt plays at the Hudson Guild Theatre until Dec. 13. Call (323) 960-7721 for tickets.
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