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Thrilling Dark Comedy Aphrodisiac: The Case of the Congressman and the Missing Intern

City Lights Theater (529 South Second Street San Jose, CA 95112)
Ba-aphrodisiac-011612
Full Price:
$15.00 - $28.00
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FREE - $14.00*
3.4 by 9 members
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A member of congress is suspected in the disappearance of his young female intern. It's a story that played itself out in newspaper headlines across the nation when Chandra Levy disappeared in 2001. Inspired by those real-life events, Rob Handel's Aphrodisiac takes a look at a similar (though fictional) situation from another viewpoint -- that of the congressman's grown children. Avery and Alma struggle together with unanswerable questions: Was their father, congressman Dan Ferris, having an affair with the young intern Ilona Waxman? Did he have anything to do with her disappearance? In their search for clues, they come across the most famous intern of all, Monica Lewinsky.

* Additional fees apply.

All offers for Aphrodisiac have expired.

The last date listed for Aphrodisiac was Sunday February 19, 2012 / 2:00pm.

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Full Price:
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Our Price:
$14.00

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City Lights Theater
529 South Second Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Website
408-295-4200
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6 Goldstar Member Reviews

Mypicture
Rating_4_0
It was a fantastic production!
Written on Feb 13 2012

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Missing_member_pic_grid_2_1
Rating_3_0
The actor/actress did a good job of
representing two persons in the same play.

With no crticism to the actors, the
text was old stuff which did not leave me as getting anything to bring home.
Written on Feb 06 2012

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Missing_member_pic_grid_2_1
Rating_4_0
Aphrodisiac takes us back to the turn of the Millennium, the time of the Clinton impeachment and Gary Condit drama. For those who have forgotten Condit, he was the Congressman from California accused of having an affair with a young intern, Chandra Levy, who subsequently disappeared, and whose dismembered body was found several years later in a park near Washington, D.C.

The play, which very closely follows the facts of the incident, looks at the situation from the point of view of Condit's adult children, in particular his daughter, who was the same age as the intern during her encounter with the Congressman. Cleverly overlaying the roles of the Congressman and the Intern onto the portrayals of the brother and sister (who take turns playacting their Father's activities as a way of trying to make sense of his behavior), the play explores lust, attraction, power, politics, ethics and morality, but doesn't dive too deeply into any of them.

The play is rescued by a daring monologue in the third-act by a "celebrity" interloper, who steals the show (in this humble reviewer's opinion). While the play perhaps hews too closely to the facts of the case, it does serve as a reminder of how tainted and tawdry politics has become, and how easy it has come to laugh off or just ignore the graphic sexual imagery, that our newspapers and television sets now regularly drop off into our laps.

The play is well-acted, and the sets, though sparse, fit the ethos of the play well. The actors are required to give some dramatic and extended monologues which they carry off well. All in all, an enjoyable experience.
Written on Feb 10 2012

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Missing_member_pic_grid_2_1
Rating_3_0
It was a little confusing at first, but I really enjoyed it.
Written on Feb 03 2012

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All 6 Reviews

More Information About Aphrodisiac

Website

http://cltc.org/our-season/aphrodisiac/

Quotes & Highlights

  • "A genuine thrill ride. As dizzying as a Nabokov-written episode of The West Wing." --The New York Sun
  • "Handel intelligently weaves together the threads of the story, and the characters shift voices and perspectives with little or no advanced warning ... This lends much of the dialogue a witty, unpredictable texture..." --talkinbroadway.com
  • "A cynical black comedy that's bathed in a kind of playfulness." --Denver Post

Description

This show contains adult language and themes.

About the Ticket Supplier: City Lights Theater Company

The City Lights Theater Company (CLTC) is San Jose's Off-Broadway theatre company and presents adventurous live stage productions in an intimate flexible environment. CLTC is committed to the community by providing their audiences with affordable, quality theatre and opportunities for local artists.