Ethan Coen usually makes films with his brother Joel, but in theater he tends to go it alone. His latest venture there is a raunchy comedy called “Let’s Love!” ,” which had its world premiere Wednesday at the Atlantic Theater Company.
The title evokes an unforgettable Off-Broadway musical from the early 1960s. This retro cheesiness is probably Cohen’s intention, complete with an exclamation point.
“Let’s love!” isn’t so much a play as it is three short sketches about 1) picking up strangers at a bar for sex, 2) hiring an off-duty cop to beat up your ex-boyfriend, and 3) having a terrible first date that miraculously turns into true love. Bringing the three stories together is a sleazy lounge singer (Nellie McKay) who addresses the audience and changes costumes (by Peggy Schnitzer) between each sketch. McKay writes his own songs and also plays the piano, accordion and harmonica with equal skill.
What’s so entertaining about “Let’s Love!” and what’s still a little shocking is that three of the female characters (Mary McCann, Aubrey Plaza, Mary Wiseman) get all the dirtiest lines. In other words, Cohen writes female characters like no other playwright today. In light of all this feminine color, it’s not surprising that four of the male characters (Chris Bauer, Dion Graham, Noah Robbins, CJ Wilson) come across as very reactive, if not a little colorless at times.
Alpha women, beta men. There’s a worldview somewhere in there.
Only the star of this male quartet, a Jewish nerd named Howie (Robbins), makes much of an impression. He is the victim of abandoned Susan (Plaza), who hired the cop (Bauer) after that plot went completely wrong. They meet on JDate, even though she is not Jewish. Being a real ballbuster, Susan manages to get a $50 bottle of wine from Howie without having sex. Recovering from this fiasco, Howie begins the third sketch, which features what has to be the worst first date ever (with Dylan Gelula) recorded on stage or screen. But he’s not Howie here. It’s simply called The Boy, something I learned not in the theater but later after reading the script.
Under the lively direction of Neil Pepe, “Let’s Love!” also worth watching for three standout comedic performances: McCann’s chick at the bar, Plaza’s vengeful girlfriend, and Robbins’ two nerds, whatever their name is.
