“A Sort of A Love Story”
Playing at the El Portal Theatre on Lankershim in North Hollywood, Ca. through Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010 is a play that spans twenty years. A man remembers his life as a foster child, abandoned as it were by his 'favorite auntie' after some devastating event. He's adopted many times by many families.
Not every story of adoption is going to be sentimental and sappy. Thank God this one isn't. Joe Bologna turns the expected into a story of a man finding his birthmother and turns it into the unexpected. It’s not a story of nostalgia, it’s a story of real life with all its beauty and ugliness, its sweetness and its bitterness. I for one was totally compelled to hear and watch the action on the stage. Two of our greatest actors, real life married couple, Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor, playing mother and son. What a shock and what a relief when instantly its believable. No matter what you may think of mother and child relationships, you won’t guess this one, and I found that most refreshing. “A Sort of A Love Story” is a brand new concept, a fresh take on what might actually happen to a child who finds the birthmother who gave him up not just for the child’s sake but for her own, yet she’s no demon, she’s just a human being after all. Bravo to Ms. Taylor for making what could have been a monster into a loveable but selfish bitch. I loved it. I applaud the authors and the actors for their ingenuity, originality and courage. I would recommend everyone even remotely connected to a mother to go see this play. Kudos to the El Portal Theatre and of course, kudos to the Bolognas for their hard work, it paid off.
