A Black Box of Stylish Dark Comedy — COP-OUT at UHM Lab Theatre

by Guest Contributor

Marcus Lee

Calvo & Nichols

Cop-Out is, visually, a clever and cool production. With just a hundred dollar budget, Late Night Director Joe Winskye, Scenic Designer Meg Hanna, and Lighting Designer Ray Moschuk manage to evoke a film noir world using little more than a cardboard-and-foam cityscape, lights, and a projection screen. Two “living set” cast members dressed in black bodysuits—Haile Baehr-Gutierrez and Amanda Stone—complete the aesthetic. They cast atmospheric shadows, provide silhouettes, become a faceless mob, and even, literally, function as furniture. They are meant to be simultaneously seen and unseen. The precision with which they perform is comic, intriguing, and praiseworthy.

Cop-Out itself is a comic piece that follows the interlaced stories of a soft-hearted policeman and his hardboiled, film noir alter ego—Arrow—both portrayed by Tyler Nichols. While the policeman struggles with insecurity about his identity, masculinity, and sense of purpose, Arrow is unwavering and undaunted in his pursuit of justice. For Arrow, there are no moral grey areas—despite his being a corrupt fascist—and no guilt or romantic complications.

Speaking of which, much of the story revolves around the policeman’s unexpected romance with a left-wing political protestor (Josephine Calvo). The two meet at a protest rally across a police barricade. The scene is one of the more charming and, like most of the play, is played for laughs.

Calvo also displays her range as an actor by playing every other on-stage speaking role in the show. Through costume and physicality, Calvo transforms from old immigrant woman, to young love interest, to femme fatale, to crippled panhandler, to American sex-idol.

For his part, Nichols portrays both the policeman and Arrow broadly, but not without skill. His most sympathetic moments occur in his opening monologue, where he reveals why he loves being a policeman. Not long after, the play quickly descends into stylized absurdity.

While the design elements of the show were impressive, they overwhelmed the plot and themes. I’m not exactly sure what the production was trying to accomplish. The direction seemed to focus on creating changes of perspective—some through clever use of props and stage hands—and the transformation of actors into various characters.

Yet, the plot developments and the themes in the script—of youth, masculinity, femininity, and power—all felt hollow and unfulfilled. And maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Perhaps Director Joe Winskye is challenging us to question these archetypes and clichés in our own lives—to change our perspectives and see the truth beyond shadows.

In any case, Cop-Out is worth seeing for anyone interested in experimental black box theatre or lovers of retro absurdist comic drama.

Only 2 more shows: February 10 & 11

More information can be found at the Kennedy Theatre website (from where the above photo was copied).

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