Review: LOL at the Algonquin Theatre

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 9/21/09 at 12:04am

Don't be fooled by the title of this show, for I did not LOL a single time. Billed as a "dark comedy," LOL was nothing more than an excruciating hour-and-a-half basin of awkwardness, stemming from the fact that there were <15 people in the audience in a theatre that uncomfortably seats about 30.

There is a lot of sex in the play, but no nudity, we are told at the very beginning of the show by the narrator, Danny, who also informs us of the troubles surrounding his sex life. Basically he isn't getting any, and confides in his "married friends" that tell him to go online to "meet someone." This notion is corroborated by his on/off ex-girlfriend Susan, who tells him that she had the greatest sex of her life in a chatroom, with a woman.

Danny decides to create an alter ego, Karen, to go into a bi-femme chatroom to cyber with women, after failed attempts in chatrooms for people looking for relationships. Karen becomes a sensation because she doesn't jump right into the cybering, and she ends up having like fifty-something sex partners by the first time Danny decides to tell us that Karen is taking over his life. (No, honestly, this is what happens)

Danny is also a novelist struggling to spice up his "romantic novels," so Karen helps him by adding elements of lesbianism, which are a huge hit with the producer, and apparently with sales, since he keeps writing, despite constantly complaining that he is six chapters behind because Karen is spending too much time on the Internet.

Blah blah blah, Danny tells Karen she can't go online anymore, and then she gets all "Smart House" Pat on him and tries to take over his life (please tell me someone got that reference). So Danny decides to leave Karen alone and she falls in love with this girl named Jenny, who reveals a secret about her life, and Karen skips all the cyber sex and just cyberly holds Jenny in her arms.

"Karen holds Jenny.
Jenny curls up and falls asleep in Karen's arms."

Seriously, this all happened amongst a barrage of iChat sounds. Eventually Danny decides to stop Karen, after she began ruining his personal life by asking his friend's wife about any time she has ever been with a woman (she magically gained the ability to talk through Danny). He does this by logging on as Karen and talking to Jenny, telling her they should meet at the Starbucks in Grand Central. Karen objects, telling Danny about how unstable Jenny is, but Danny thinks she is lying.

Danny comes clean to Jenny, who punches him and runs out of the Starbucks. Some more chaos ensues, but I won't give that ending away for anyone who wants to endure this show.

And that was it. It really should have been called WTF instead of LOL, because it made absolutely no sense.

Don't see this show, it is not even worth a free ticket.