Local Theater: Over Our Head Players lighten up Eric Bogosian's 'Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll'

The Over Our Head Players' performance of Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" opens
Friday night at Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth St. in Racine.

When Joe Piirto was set to play Eric Bogosian's signature role in a production of "Talk Radio" at UW-Parkside, he emailed Bogosian himself for advice.

"It's going to be your character," the actor answered. "Make it your own."

That's no small task when it comes to Bogosian. Not only does the actor, now most famous for his role on CSI "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," bring a searing intensity to his roles, he wrote the plays for himself to star in.

But after early success in "Talk Radio" as an actor, Piirto is ready to take on the challenge again. The technical director for the Over Our Head Players at Sixth Street Theatre is directing Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" set to debut Friday night. The show is a pared down version of a one-man, 12-act show Bogosian wrote and starred in on Broadway in 1990. It features a series of sketches about life in the underworld of a major city.

Though it's 18 years old, many of the urban issues Bogosian was talking about back then are still relevant today, Piirto said.

"We found a lot of the topics he looks at are still plaguing us today," Piirto said. "We looks at the underbelly of man, especially the American man, from bums on the street to very successful attorneys and mob bosses."

Piirto took a few steps to make te play "his own." First, it's not a one-man show. (Bogosian wrote the original play as a vehicle to demonstrate his acting range, Piirto said.) He cast seven men and woman for a show. Second, it's shorter. Bogosian originally performed 12 sketches and wrote five additional "orphans" that were published along with the script. Piirto narrowed it down to six sketches and four orphans. Third, it should be funnier.

Bogosian is an aggressive, snide actor best known for intense monologues that are darkly funny. Piirto took it as a challenge to retain Bogosian's words, but lighten the mood around them.

"It was hard for me to reconcile with just beating our audience up with this stuff," he said. "... Without changing lines, we had to figure out how to bring the humor out."

"Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" stars Zach Chacon, Chris Clausen, Joshua Devitt, Nick Hoyt, Daniel Myers, Jay Rattle, Brandy Harrell, and Jesse Silva. Harrell, who performs a monologue offstage, is the only woman in the cast.

Rehearsals have gone well, Piirto said. The cast came from a small audition - only one actor didn't get a part - but drew in talent perfect for the show, he said. Everyone came in with lines memorized on day one, which has given them time to develop characters and work on "audience interaction."

"I'm awed by them," Piirto said. "They carry the audience through a roller coaster ride. Hopefully at the end everyone is entertained and smiling."

Piirto, who moved to Racine when he was 5, described himself as a "minimalist" director who uses simple sets. "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" is a plain set with graffiti, from local artists, sprayed on the wall.

"The idea is you're in an alley somewhere in the city," Piirto said. "It speaks to the urban ideas most of the monologues contain."

Piirto graduated with theater degree from UW-Parkside eight years ago and now works as a freelance technical director and set designer for theaters throughout southeastern Wisconsin, including the Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson. He is the full-time resident technical director and set designer at the Sixth Street Theatre.

Prior to moving back to Racine, Piirto worked in Florida and in the Seattle area.

Along with Piirto, Matthew Rangel assistant directs and stage manages the show. The production staff includes Jenny Kostreva, Erik Piirto, Claudia Bruce, Bradford Ermel, Hans Michaelis, Taryn Fuhrman, Jerry Horton, and Tom Spraker.

"Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" opens Friday at 8 p.m. and runs six shows over two weekends. The other dates include: Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m.; Aug. 7 and 8, 8 p.m., and Aug. 9, 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 on Fridays and Saturdays and $12 on Sundays.

For reservations, call the box office at (262) 632-6802. Sixth Street Theatres is located at 318 Sixth St.




Eric Bogosian in a classic monologue from "Talk Radio."



And one more scene, just for fun ...