This review appeared in Los Angeles Reader on May 3, 1996.

Human Scratchings
by Melinda Schupmann

Anthony Geary's brilliant interpretation of one man's torment is not merely acting. More than a performance, it is a glimpse into the soul and spirit of a person who is sometimes repellent, sometimes tender, but always compelling. The lift of an eyebrow, a gesture, an intimate look-all these make Geary's character come to life.

Writer-director Rick Edelstein's multilayered narrative is a fascinating look at the issues of the day-AIDS, marriage, sex, crime, politics, and religion, to name a few. Geary plays a grieving man whose wife has just died and who subsequently becomes a self-appointed savior who decides to correct the "egregious" wrongs of the world. Driven by a voice in his head and the biblical lessons of his childhood, he executes those who have sinned.

It is a testament to Geary's acting skills that this tale does not degenerate into sensational melodrama. Edelstein's deft use of humor also tempers the story's violence. Jon Gottlieb's lighting and Kathi O'Donohoe's sound add important dimension to this two-act solo performance. Though one scene with an evangelistic preacher may be overlong, this evening of love and redemption provokes the audience to think, and that is its greatest attribute.

Court Theatre, 722 N. La Cienega Bl. (xxx) xxx-xxxx. Thur-Sun at 8. Closes June 2.