Review | “Crabs in a Bucket” at Echo Theatre

Jordan Hull, Michael Sturgis, Xochitl Romero, and Anna LaMadrid in “Crabs in a Bucket” (Photo – Cooper Bates)

Echo Theater Company brings another winner to Atwater Village Theater!

By Carol Edger Germain

“Crabs in a Bucket” is a fast-paced physical and verbal satire, with a message that will resonate with each viewer’s particular life experience or current situation.

Apparently crabs in a bucket will thwart each other’s ability to climb to freedom by refusing to help each other to the top, rather than joining forces for the common good. A person can keep tossing crabs into the bucket as they are captured, without worrying about them escaping.

Four energetic crabs (cleverly costumed by Lou Cranch) spell out the repercussions of crab mentality. The play opens with two crabs in the shucking bucket, crusty Amargo (Xochitl Romero) and positive Pootz (Anna LaMadrid), who spend their days talking chit about those who got out, “The Before” (i.e., life before being bucketed), and future possibilities outside the bucket. Amargo is cynically resigned to their fate and attempts to justify and live with it, while Pootz is ever the optimist, looking for the bright side of the situation, but ultimately they convince themselves that “out there” may not be all it is cracked up to be and their bucket life may be a better alternative. Their world is jolted by the explosively energetic arrival of young whippersnapper crab Beb (Jordan Hull) who is full of enthusiasm. Hull takes advantage of every opportunity to express herself physically and verbally, expecting to energize Amargo and Pootz. Her scuttling about the stage draws a laugh every time, but again, all is in sync, not overdone or inappropriate for the moment. There is nonstop crabtastic repartee, and it lands every time, evoking laughter and never a groan, never a reaction of “too much.” Very impressive. The playwright (Bernardo Cubria), director (Alana Dietze), and actors are in sync and keep the audience on board for the ride. Eventually the dynamic changes when the three bucketed crabs are visited by Mamon (Michael Sturgis), a crab who got out and has returned to entice the others to go for the top of the bucket and jump to the other side.

Are they inspired? Do they join forces and unite to escape? Guaranteed you will have a fun evening finding out. Especially effective for symbolizing the possible escape sequences was the use of strobe lights as the crabs climb and crawl up the center aisle of the theater, grappling and screaming. Don’t miss this one.

It is highly entertaining, and interesting to chat with your fellow theatergoers afterward to see what personal perspectives were triggered. After this particular performance there was a talkback with the playwright and the actors, and it was interesting to see how the actors’ perspectives were framed by the current actors’ strike.

Anna LaMadrid in “Crabs in a Bucket” (Photo – Cooper Bates)

Crabs in a Bucket
Through August 21
Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 8:00 pm.
Sundays at 4:00 pm.
Echo Theater Company, Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039
Friday, Saturday, Sunday - $34
Monday - pay-what-you-want
EchoTheaterCompany.com
(310) 307-3753