Eric Bogosian's "SubUrbia" Rings Disturbingly True in Outstanding Los Angeles Production
- Dan Ruth
- Apr 12
- 5 min read
Saturday, April 12, 2025, Los Angeles, CA
written by Entertainment Editor, Dan Ruth
Written in 1994 before the world’s discovery of the internet and the over-use of cellphones and digital data, Eric Bogosian’s hit play SubUrbia, proves that we as people haven’t evolved very far since the era of Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton and grunge. We still live in fear, wander through life aimlessly, and want to change the world when we’re not completely rapped in self-obsession. Nonetheless, the world of the wildly ensemble-driven SubUrbia survives today, intact; still tightly cloaked in a shadow world of human frailty, self-hatred, entrapment, misdirected anger, and day-to-day, mindless triviality. Like many of Bogosian’s other plays, SubUrbia deals with the lost cause, known also as the “American Dream,” and like other Bogosian scripts, SubUrbia is painted in urban, neon street language and vivid, caustic imagery. In this particular setting, that American dream is masterfully personified by none other than the local 7-Eleven in the fictional town of Burnfield, or perhaps the one right on the corner in your hometown.
This grimy parking lot mecca is the urban round table for Bogosian’s characters, namely, Buff, Jeff and Tim, a trio of modern-day lost knights of suburban America, and their female cohorts, Sooze and Bee-Bee, where a daily gathering furthers only to prove that it’s better to be lost together, than to leave the comforts of corner pizza, weed and alcohol, where one could actually explore that so-called dream, and make it a reality. Each character here excels at loathing both their environment and themselves, yet seem powerless to escape the clutches of their own urban mediocrity. Case in point, enter the long-awaited return of Burnfield’s golden child, Pony, who has succeeded in venturing out into the world and has returned as a semi-rockstar, complete with guitar, limo and Erica, a smoking hot personal assistant from Los Angeles. While some in this group have eagerly awaited his return, others, have merely distain for the old friend, with Tim and Jeff most notably sparking fights and a war of words, which only further to clarify their childlike jealousies. In priceless American fashion, members of this group congratulate Pony on his success, while none of them actually paid to go see him.
There is plenty of strong language and smoking (be prepared) in this piece, as well as unapologetic systemic racism toward Nazeer, the Pakistani owner of the 7-Eleven and his sister, Pakeeza, who stop at nothing to try and silence the wild animals in their parking lot. At one point, Pakeeza even draws a pistol on the group, but little can tether these frayed characters as they continue to careen into lost oblivion. Eric Bogosian’s writing is loaded with truths that still resonate in today's America, with its frightening fascist leanings, but it’s also loaded with humor, irony and hypocrisy. Raging alcoholic Tim, a former Air Force pilot who admits to cutting off part of his finger to get an honorable discharge, is too quick to label Jeff a coward. Jeff struggles with his own jealousy toward Pony because of his girlfriend Sooze’s obsession with Pony’s success and her own dreams of leaving Burnfield for New York City to become a performance artist. But even within Jeff’s rant about the damaging aspects of fear and how he has magically overcome it in real-time, here comes Bogosian’s hero Nazeer again, exiting the 7-Eleven with a broom, prompting Jeff’s absurd line, “you scared me, man!”
For all the complexities that lie within Mr. Bogosian’s script, the simplest pieces of dialogue hold all the keys to this kingdom of SubUrbia, and nearly all belong to Nazeer, who stands as this play’s voice of reason, constantly telling them all to go home. Reminding them, that he and his sister will one day sell the 7-Eleven and move on, while illustrating that none of them will do the same. Then there's the character of Bee-Bee, who performs feats of magic by simply disappearing several times in the play, as if she doesn't exist at all. This speaks not only to the subtleties of Bogosian’s script, but to the stellar direction of Michele M. Gossett who carefully crafts the quieter moments, along with the histrionics. Please take note: not one moment of this outstanding production is wasted. Gossett sculpts each moment with an outstanding cast of actors who are constantly engaged, listening and reacting - this is ensemble acting to the highest degree.
Hayden James Black plays the clownish Buff to the hilt, but underneath the surface is a young man who is most likely going to get everything he wants; he is fearlessness personified, as is the electric Amy Partain, whose Sooze teeters on the verge of having it all if she could just step off the ledge. Lachlan McPheat’s Jeff holds the play’s biggest challenge, landing dialogue that’s closest to Bogosian’s message. His performance is dynamic and compelling, and he gives the audience plenty to identify with. Also challenging is the character of Pony, played by Mason Kennerly, who must come off as the plays Godot, while stripping his character of any sense of “stardom,” revealing that his job is like any other, it's a job. The likeable Kennerly succeeds in blending back into the fold, as he is clearly not the threat that he's made out to be by other members of the group. Duke Pierce’s Tim however, will never escape the world of Burnfield. He will only land back in the bottle. His Tim is meant to be despised, but it’s the challenge within Pierce’s powerhouse performance to wear a veneer of empathy, furthering the complexities of the character, and rendering him nearly likeable. Prahaan Padhiar gives a palpable performance as Nazeer and Pearly Mitnasala’s Pakeeza is a raging force behind the glass of the 7-Eleven window. Both Mikayla Perez as Bee-Bee and Lilli Simerman as Erica captivate. While Perez’s performance, as previously stated, is magical in her powerful silent stage trickery (she also arguably gets the biggest laugh in the show), Simerman’s performance as the LA personal assistant is absolutely mesmerizing. While pulling no focus from the action, Simerman is ever present - you simply can’t take your eyes off of her. As it stands, by looking through the program, this production of SubUrbia, along with its cast, is nothing short of a love letter to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
What’s most refreshing and so rarely seen these days, is a play that unapologetically has no happy ending. There may be some glimmers of hope, but there is no answer here, so don’t look for it. It should be fair to mention that I saw the original production in New York City in 1994, and this production, with its stellar cast and Broadway-quality set design by Thomas Brown, more than holds its own. Mr. Bogosian would be immensely proud of this production and in Los Angeles, it’s a shame that a production of this calaber isn’t afforded a longer run. Sadly, SubUrbia closes this Sunday, April 13th so get your tickets and strap yourself in.
While the “America Dream” continues to hurl itself over the precipice into totalitarian rule, it will be interesting to see how SubUrbia plays out in another thirty years, if we are even here at all. Stay tuned.
SubUrbia is producted by Mojo Ensemble, and performs through Sunday, April 13th at Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda BLVD. Ticket Link.
Caliber, disdain, rapt are the correct spellings.