Long Beach is Sinking at The Garage Theatre

Gregory Spooner
Culture Writer

Google “Long Beach is Sinking,” and the first thing that will pop up is not the Garage Theatre’s latest production; it is a link to the City of Long Beach website. This link briefly explains that our city was once known as “the sinking city” and that drilling and removal of oil (and to a lesser extent, water) has resulted in up to 20 square miles of coastal land sinking almost 30 feet! Fortunately, this sinking has been arrested by having the oil companies inject seawater underground to replace the oil they are pumping out. The oil companies didn’t do this from the start, and the result was that “Damage to public and private property and the rebuilding of Port facilities have cost billions in today’s dollars.” (See longbeach.gov/oil/subsidence .)
I first learned about our sinking city in a history class at LBCC almost 20 years ago. What concerned me the most was learning that the water that we pump down to take the place of the oil must constantly be replenished. It’s not a matter of pumping down one gallon of water for each gallon of oil and forgetting about it; there are now so many holes in the aquifer from years of drilling that the water soon seeps out. We must keep pumping down water to maintain enough pressure to prevent the subsidence. Right now, the pumps that do this are paid for and run by the oil companies that are still extracting what’s left of our oil, but that won’t last forever. And when it runs out, where is the profit in pumping water into the ground? Call me cynical, but I prognosticate this bill being picked up by John Q. Public quicker than you can say, “Chapter 11.”
When I learned that the Garage Theatre’s latest production was entitled Long Beach is Sinking, I was eager to attend. It’s not often you get to see a production about your own neighborhood, let alone one that’s based on fact, yet still filled with danger and intrigue. When I learned the production was to be a melodrama, accompanied by live music, and great for kids, my interest was only piqued further. The last production I saw at Garage Theatre was Trojan Barbie, and it was excellent, so it seemed the stars were aligned for a delightful evening.
Upon entering the modest theatre (you may want to get your tickets online in advance, as the theatre only seats about 40), I was immediately impressed by Yuri Okohana’s set design. The walls were filled with the signs of that icon of yesteryear— the Long Beach Pike. My father took me to the Pike when I was a child, and I still have memories of its old-time, Coney Island feel. Playwright Jamie Sweet then addressed us as the play was about to begin. Being a melodrama, he passed out cloth tomatoes (that we were encouraged to throw at the villians) and flowers (for the heroine). Each character was then introduced, along with their “theme music,” which was always played as they entered the scene. Finally, the audience was led in a rousing warm-up of “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” (Did I mention this was a great show for kids?!)
The play’s set-up is that our hero Rod (Rob Young) runs the Cyclone Racer rollercoaster at the Pike but finds it is repeatedly damaged due to the land beginning to sink. When a large sinkhole opens up, Rod and his girlfriend Dixie (Lola Jaye) decide to go underground to investigate the cause. Here they encounter the arch-villain and his minions (Oil, Commerce and Industry) who have been morphed into giant mole-people. (Once again, doesn’t this sound like a play it would be great to bring the kids to?)
Acting in melodrama must be a challenge. The genre demands that the acting is not “good” in that it should not be realistic; just like the plot, it should be exaggerated and larger-than-life. The actors must then walk the tightrope between realism and ridiculousness and somehow make their performances “work.” The troupe at the Garage Theatre did more than deliver on this. While the characters are the archetypes we all expect (villain, hero, damsel-in-distress, mad scientist, etc.), the actors all manage to emboss their own unique spin on them. Clayton Steacker’s policeman, “Frenchy,” was an unexpected comic gem; furthermore, he manned the keyboard for accompanying live music with fellow cast member Gus Palooka on guitar. Lola Jaye played the archetypical, fast-talkin’-city-gal reporter… with moxie! Will McCrabb’s standout performance as “the Professor” had him channeling the late, great Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, down to the single black-gloved hand! Ian Sidious (played by Joe Howells) fulfills his task of arch-villain, complete with nefarious laughter. He even stooped to occasionally lobbing the cloth tomatoes back into the audience!
The show has an intermission, at which time free ice cream (or Toffuti for the lactose-intolerant crowd) is served. (Free ice cream! Is this play great for kids, or what?!)
My only complaint about Long Beach is Sinking is that it didn’t go into more depth on the real story behind the melodrama. We know there was a great deal of damage that occurred when subsidence began. We can be sure that the three forces of Oil, Commerce and Industry butted heads over this (Oil must have denied it, while Commerce and Industry probably got the short end of the subsidence stick), rather than cooperating in an “Axis of Evil.” Perhaps including some of this backstory rather than “the Mole people” would have appealed more to the adults in the audience. But I’m probably trying to dig too deep. This is a melodrama— intended for kids— not Chinatown.

Long Beach is Sinking will play at the Garage Theatre through Saturday, Dec. 21. The venue is located at 251 E. 7th St. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; matinees are on Saturdays only at 2pm. Tickets are $12 general admission for adults and $5 for children. For tickets and more information, call 866-811-4111 or visit thegaragetheatre.org .