Backstage West March 13-19, 2003

Premiering in L.A.'s Little Armenia, Lilly Thomassian's memory play about a family of survivors of the 1915 Armenian genocide finds a welcoming audience. The play, which first took shape as a poem before being expanded into its current form retains enough emotional punch to move even the most skeptical viewer. Its potent tales, based on real people and events, leave one wanting to know more about this harrowing nightmare. While presenting these powerful stories with unmistakable earnestness, Thomassian is less successful in creating a cohesive play. Still perhaps a poem at heart, the play jumps from tragic memory to tragic memory, with little windows of calm in between. There is no arc here; the piece jolts forward with an unsteady rhythm, never quite finding solid footing.

Direction by Anita Khanzadian does little to remedy the play's structural problems, instead giving each heartbreaking revelation equal attention. The central horror, revealed late in the evening, seems to pale in comparison to the myriad accounts that precede it. The actors portraying the family are lively and willing, throwing themselves about with abandon into the stories they must bring to life. Each hits on powerful moments. Jimmie F. Skaggs plays the long-suffering father with strength and fortitude. His best moments are the quiet ones, when his veneer of solidity can slip away,

revealing a very human gentleness and sense of humor. Anna Der Nersesian is striking as the older sister, struggling to find peace in the New World, and Anais Thomassian gives an animated performance as the younger sister, celebrating her 16th birthday. However, none of the actors escape the play's repetitious nature, and their frequent descents into grief don't vary much from one to the next.

A chorus of three women (Stephanie Satie, Magda Harout, and Amanda Troop) also haunts the stage, seemingly to torture the family into remembering each and every affliction. Miranda Leann Lopez, 8 years old in a white dress and ballet slippers is downright scary as the smiling face of death.

This production tackles a huge subject matter--and surely a matter that merits further exploration. It succeeds in bringing an emotionally charged and important piece of history to life. It falters only in its attempt to dramatize so much of it in so little time. Perhaps Thomassian just couldn't choose which of the many heartbreaking stories she should explore in her piece. With so much horror in this history, it seems a difficult choice to make.

"Let the Rocks Speak," presented by ShapeShifter Productions at the Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Thurs.-Fr. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. Mar. 9-Apr. 27. $25. (323) 663-1525 .