WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1999

'Leftover Hearts' makes an emotional connection

By Sharon Christensen

On-Line Forty-Niner

The desire to make family stability a reality is easily understood by the first generation of latch-key children, whose parents have left, divorced each other or sometimes worse.

First-time playwright Sasha Krane is counting on this audience for his play, "Leftover Hearts," currently being produced at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Hollywood.

"Leftover Hearts" is a sometimes whiny portrayal of two young New Yorkers who meet in an adoption center.

One is looking to find his birth parents and the other wants to give up her unborn child.

Through their shared but excruciatingly painful family experiences, the two believe they can create the sitcom-perfect family for Jennifer's baby through constant self-revelation and self-pity.

Although Jennifer, the 19-year-old unwed mother, and Sebastian, the 20-something, independently wealthy man in search of his roots, manage a deeply emotional connection based on their painful histories as adopted children, the continuous "I am more messed up than you" competition that ensues is tiresome.

Krane, however, saves the cast from its own dull, droning, whininess by injecting a "Star Wars"-style plot twist, as well as some well-staged, thought-provoking scenes.

Sebastian, played confidently by Josh Karch, flashes back to his brief moments with his birth mother, and subconsciously compares the tender, meaningful apologies of his birth mother to the sickly-sweet synthetic mothering of his clinical adoptive mother.

The scene ends when Carlos Colunga's clever lighting shifts from dark and reddish, womb lighting, to the bright, daylight of modern reality and Sebastian is transported back to Jennifer and his apartment.

Krane's writing shifts from the sentimental gushing of Sebastian's seemingly inadequate adoptive mother to Sebastian's self-righteous admonishments about Jennifer's decision to abort the baby.

The intimacy of the 49-seat Studio Stras Theatre is perfectly highlighted by the one-act play, giving the audience an appropriately uncomfortable closeness to the sorrows of the two characters.

Jill Simon's portrayal of Jennifer is right on. Simon plays the traumatized teenager with a combination of shaky-voiced, naive flirtation and insecure, instantaneous defensiveness of the girl running from her own family's cruelty.

Director Don Eitner keeps the stage and lighting simple, letting Krane's sympathetic characters lead the emotional action with their dramatic revelations.

"Leftover Hearts" plays through May 28. For tickets or more information, one may call (323) 650-7777.