The Elephant Theatre Company is presenting the world premiere of a new play called The Idea Man. The story concerns the conflict between labor and management that arises when a smart but underachieving worker puts a million-dollar idea into the company suggestion box, and is awarded only a hundred dollars and a plaque.
The suggestion involves improvements to one of the company’s machines, and the machine's inventor and his boss decide to steal the idea for their own gain. Unfortunately for them, the worker has left out some vital information. A struggle of will and bargaining styles ensues, to sometimes hilarious results, as we see these worlds collide.
The play is directed by one of the best directors in Los Angeles, David Fofi, and he has at his disposal one of the treasures of the LA theatre scene: James Pippi, who plays the worker with just the right balance of smarts and commonness. Pippi’s character, when asked if he knows Marx (Karl), replies, ”I’ve seen their movies.” He ends up befriending the inventor, beautifully played Robert Foster, who captures the spirit of a man caught between getting what he deserves and being a slave to THE BOSS.
The whole cast is quite good, displaying that gritty realism the Elephant company is known for. I want to make a special point of praising the work of Kerry Carney as the worker's wife. She gives a brave, funny, and fierce performance.
Fofi delivers another powerfully directed piece. The play itself, by Kevin King, is good but not extraordinary. Fofi, however, gets terrific work from his cast and collaborators. The lighting by Joel Daavid is first-rate, and the set design by Elephant Stageworks is amazing for a 99-seat theatre: the set is basically a factory that can be transformed by lights and some factory furniture into a living room, an upscale office, a break room, etc.
The Idea Man plays at The Elephant Theatre until June 6.
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