Judy Rose, Director  Gary Flaxman, Writer  2 hours

Is it Jim? Some people say Jim Morrison is still alive. Well, this is definitely true at the art/works Theater right now. Jim died with some unresolved issues to put it mildly, and one final time Flaxman seeks to resolve them not only for himself, but for anyone else who is fascinated by the myth of Morrison, or still grasping for straws to bring some form of closure to the turbulence that was the 1960’s, or for those too young to remember: a chance to learn.

Based on historical accounts of Morrison, Jim (DAMON SHALIT) preens around on stage taunting, mocking, primping, challenging, and oftentimes annoying people to tears as was his notorious wont during life. But this time, his opponent is a new rival. It is not another human being, it is the white suited and dignified Al (ABNER GENECE), an entity whose origin initially is unclear, though his purpose is brutally clear: to bring Jim to terms with his own demise.   

Al pulls Jim out of the bathtub in the Paris hotel where he died in 1971, sits him up, and forces Jim to face himself, and to reveal himself, and to come to terms with the cataclysmic events of the 1960’s that defined that turbulent era for those who lived through it: race riots, rock god demagoguery, Vietnam, and the mentality of the politicians who sent them Americans to die there.   

But Jim does not have to go it alone. He is visited by other figures from the Great Beyond who were part of the most polarizing events of the times: the other Jimi-Hendrix (RUSSELL RICHARDSON), a shy southern girl simply known as the Fan (CORRYN CUMMINS) who was killed at that riotous Miami concert, a young black woman beaten (SARAH SCOTT DAVIS) to death with a Billy club in the Detroit chapter of the national race riots, a Senator (STEVEN SHAW), a Vietnam soldier (JAKE BERN) and the ever-present Al his guide. By listening to the stories of their demise, Jim gets closer to understanding his place and role in the times in which he lived.

Whether you want to re-live the past darkly, or learn more not only about Morrison but more importantly about the era in which he lived, this play is inspiring in that it is the work of a sincere aficionado not only of Morrison but of the times, and the idealism and optimism and naiveté that the ’60’s represented that was taken away forever by an unknown quantity of dark and powerful forces.   

Yet this is not the work of a furry band of nostalgists. The play is unique in that the exposure of the actors to the individuals they portrayed was limited, bringing out the best of their own dramatic interpretations based on the preparation they did for each role and their personal committment to their craft, and providing a needed sense of dramatic distance to the authenticity of the dramatic approach.    

So is Jim really dead? Gary Flaxman takes on the challenge of answering this question; while he cannot be inside the mind of Jim Morrison, Morrison as a celebrity represents a part of many people of the time, and thus all members of the public have a personal stake to answer for themselves what Morrison meant. 

We learn what the infamous "incident" in Miami did to Morrison, and how profound that effect was on his life. When the powers that be finally got to Morrison, and through career homicidal and financially ruinous prosecution drained him of the millions of dollars he had made as a celebrity, they turned Jim the role that Morrison always invited and embraced, but clearly could not bear to realize: social outcast.  

Delving into issues of race: (Hendrix: "Do you think because I was famous no one could see the color of my skin?") to Conservatism in the golden era of spiritual idealism (Congressman: "you spit on everything that was holy") to war (Soldier: "You were in a restaurant drinking champagne with some actress while I was in a rice paddy asking myself if I was going to die today!"), Morrison must face the question of whether he lived a good life, and if he really did anything meaningful, musing the question in his passage from the Here and Now of his Paris hotel room to the Great Beyond.

Yet all the world’s a stage, and this remains the crowning truth in Jim’s life, and the source of the most precious possession he had: the connection with his audience.   Flaxman, like Jim, never forgets his audience, and that is the most pleasing aspect of this play. As Al says to Jim:  "Like the hero in our dreams, they work for us on our behalf."

Jim is the hero of many dreams, but it is his audience that worked to maintain his image and his myth for their own sake. Because we all need something to believe in. At the art/works Theater, through the impassioned commitment of an intimate collection of fine actors and the artistic vision of Rose and Flaxman, hopes–and myths–are still alive and flourishing today, marching towards an inevitable but surprising conclusion.

Jim Morrison: Swimming to the Moon is playing at the art/works Theater from September 15 to November 11 at 6569 Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  $34.99. For reservations call: (323) 960-4412 or online: www.plays411.com/morrison