Jackalope Theatre’s “Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play,” with William Anthony Sebastian Rose II/Photo: Joel Maisonet/Maisonet Photography
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“Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play” begins by warning the audience not to read too much into anything about to happen on stage. We are told that the following play, a world premiere written and directed by Terry Guest, is actually nothing more than a simple tale of sex and violence. And while the presented story is in fact quite tawdry, it nonetheless does operate on several levels; it just happens to do so in an incredibly sexy and immediate manner.
Told over three acts, “Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play” begins with a frustrated artist (who, we are told, is actually not that Andy Warhol) unable to put anything on canvas. This impotence appears in direct contrast to his lover Michael Brown’s (played by David Dowd) recent success in procuring several spots in an established gallery’s showcase. Brown generously offers up one of his berths to Warhol, who then crosses paths with Marilyn Monroe (a multifaceted Alexis Ward). Warhol decides to immortalize the platinum blonde legend, which propels him to almost instant artistic stardom, while Michael Brown is left behind to stew in a venomous blend of jealousy and cocaine.
Jackalope Theatre’s “Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play,” with Jasmine “Jazzy” Cheri Rush and William Anthony Sebastian Rose II/Photo: Joel Maisonet/Maisonet Photography
In this alternate universe, Michael Brown, a fictional character, is married to the very real Edie Sedgwick, who starred in several Factory films before tragically dying of an overdose. In this play, Edie instead heads out to Los Angeles, where she struggles to support a flailing artist primarily by working as a commercial actress. Her goal though is to play Marilyn Monroe in an upcoming biopic, and in doing so perhaps become the next Hollywood star. Meanwhile, Marilyn Monroe, or at least Warhol’s depiction of her, remains behind as a sort of ghost to torment her creator. It is exactly this type of reflection—art imitating life, imitating art—that elevates this production.
Casting choices here are spot-on, with William Anthony Sebastian Rose II especially convincing as the very cynical and all-too-human Andy Warhol. Playing opposite Rose is David Michael Dowd, who channels just the right amount of rage and pathos in order to operate as a dark shadow to Warhol’s realized ambition, while Jasmine “Jazzy” Cheri Rush demonstrates good range in her portrayal of the maturing Edie Sedgwick and Alexis Ward works well as a tragic Marilyn Monroe. The cast vibes well throughout the performance, with everything occurring within a gorgeous set design by Sydney Lynne Thomas that screams 1970s sensibilities.
The production also offers up an impressive sound design anchored by several original compositions by Ethan Korvne, each groovier and more soulful than the next. That, as well as the copious amounts of cocaine snorted on stage, creates a super-sticky atmosphere of creative excess just waiting to crush the unsuspecting artist. It is a world where those who have supposedly made it, like Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe, ultimately find themselves overexposed. Fame is not for the faint of heart.
Jackalope Theatre’s “Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play” runs through July 6 at Broadway Armory Park, 5917 North Broadway. Tickets are $15-$45, available at jackalopetheatre.org.
