Feb. 05--The movie of the moment "American Sniper" is, above all else, sober in tone and intent -- "and don't you forget it," the film all but implores. Steve J. Spencer's "Push Button Murder," in a world premiere at The Side Project, is just as concerned about the effects of wartime service on a person's psyche.
But, clunky title notwithstanding, it has the added benefit of Spencer's instinct for sharp dialogue and dark comedy.
Two military personnel, Becky (the forceful one) and Roy (Mr. Laidback), sit in front of computer screens their bunker-style office stateside, riffing on pop culture and staving off boredom while monitoring a situation on the ground somewhere. Every so often the command center checks in over the radio.
"What intelligence are you referring to?" Becky barks into her headset. "It's now two guys and a mule standing out in the open, under the sun, scratching their beards for no apparent reason. Don't use the word intelligence when there is no intelligence present in this conversation." Pause. "Oh, blow me, Control. I'm staring at an Arabian PTA meeting in the hills."
Soon enough Becky (a terrific Meredith Rae Lyons, sarcastic and blunt) and Roy (Derek Garza as an amusing man-child) are joined by a wonk in a suit named Preston (Andrew Bailes) who is there to "observe," and his presence is an excuse to examine just what the hell they -- and by extension, we -- are doing in the name of national security.
"We swat flies," Becky tells their interloper, shrugging. "We've got the drones. We have to use them."
Everything about these scenes in the bunker pop with acidic energy and zing -- the hot-and-cold of Roy and Becky's respective personalities; their comedic dialogue; the way they toy with their visitor just enough to make you wonder what's going on. Director Ronan Marra calibrates the push-pull just so.
If the scenes were confined to the bunker only, the play would be one of my favorites of the year so far.
But there's another parallel narrative, that of a budding quasi-anarchist who falls in with a violent activist group that is presumably also monitored by our pals in the bunker.
You see where Spencer is going with this -- will Americans be so blithe about drone warfare when the targets are domestic? But these portions are a major weak spot, lacking any credibility or Spencer's caustic point-of-view. He would be smart to chuck these bits altogether and narrow the focus.
Instead of putting boots on the ground, "it's like we've got an app for smoking people," as Roy puts it. That's fodder enough for Spencer's brand of truth-telling.
3 STARS
Through Feb. 8 at The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave.; tickets are $20 at thesideproject.net
