“I really do think I’m living in a John Hughes film sometimes, and that’s just utterly ridiculous,” says performance artist Gina Lovoi. Her new autobiographical show, The Whole Juan Situation, bears some similarities to Hughes’s mid-80s work; in it a crazy crush that transcends social barriers torments a plucky heroine who is surrounded by the color pink.
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The story is a detailed saga of disappointment and humiliation. Since Lovoi draws only from personal experience and doesn’t fictionalize, the setting is particularly intimate. “I want to have an impact,” she explains, “and the only way it’s going to do that is really pouring it out as I see it.” The witty writing, lighthearted design scheme, and playful use of stage technology can’t disguise the discomfort Lovoi experiences when she recalls last summer. In its most effective moments, the goofiness actually amplifies the sense of pain; but there’s the occasional hint that it’s a crutch she uses to bear the memory. The forced laughter some sections are met with suggests that it serves a similar purpose for at least part of the audience.
But altruism alone cannot explain the opening line she tried on Juan. In last summer’s oppressive heat Lovoi asked him how to say “I’m hot” in Spanish. A summer of high hopes, dashed dreams, and record temperatures ensued. Though he spoke little English, Juan turned out to be a skillful flirt. One day by the restaurant’s fountain Lovoi tried to find out if he was single by asking the name of his girlfriend. Nearly a year later his coy answer melts the audience’s heart the way it did Lovoi’s: “Maybe you?”
Even though we only hear Lovoi’s side of the story, it seems that Juan is a generally nice guy. It’s not hard to imagine that he returned Lovoi’s flirtations either to avoid hurting her feelings or because he didn’t know how else to react. Whatever the reason, Juan’s approach is guaranteed to fail. For anyone who’s been on his side of this familiar equation, the show can be both eye-opening and gut-wrenching.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Nathan Mandell.
