Love can bite you in the ass and make you ache but it’s also an astounding experience that can leave one both fulfilled and drained. Writer/director Kevin Delin must have experienced some fantastic highs as well as some exhausting lows to come up with Heat & Hostility. The 14-part dramedy has an arc of every romantic trouble imaginable. He weaves in the funny, with the unbelievable and creates a vivid montage of romantic foibles befallen by all. All of the characters go by the names of He and She. This is possibly Delin’s way of placing the every lovesick man or woman in the character’s place. There is something in each vignettethat will sound familiar. 
Take the dreaded ‘how many guys did you sleep with before me?’ situation. Couple Travis Dixon and Quin Walters play a laidback couple relaxing and reading one afternoon. The harmony is crushed when Dixon asks Walters the question that no man should ask. Both Walters’ response and Dixon’s reaction are classic in coupledom history. Some things should never be asked or answered. William Henry Catlett IV experiences the same nightmare in ‘Meloncholy’ when Walters asks her beloved if he likes her implants.
There is an underlying question that escaped Catlett. Of course he likes the implants BUT if he admits that then he’s subconsciously saying that without them Walters won’t be desirable. Think before you speak gentlemen. Catlett and Walters’ dialogue will resonate with a lot of paramours who trap themselves in this awkward position. Leaving the female out of the equation is “Battle of the Inches” where Catlett and Dixon play well endowed porn actors, the former hetero and the latter gay. It’s like taking a peek into a forbidden world as the audience watches Punk (Dixon) and Hunk (Catlett) discuss which of them has it bad in the industry. Their conversation is highly intellectual and entertaing.
Dixon easily morphs from loving boyfriend (Bicycles) to frustrated porn star to the vindictive lover in “Party of Two” with Amy Lucas. Lucas’ pregnant character is hoping that her man will surprise her with a ring. She gets something else instead. This is the perfect revenge fantasy very well executed.
It’s not surprising that Dixon plays all his characters with so much sophisticated humor. He is a member of the hysterical Complex Comedy improv group which performs the most hysterical and innovative shows every Saturday night at the Complex Theatre in Hollywood. His splats and falls are reminiscent of the old school master Harold Lloyd. He switches characters by the sound of a snap making it easy to believe he is who his is at the given moment. Walters isn’t so bad either. She too was excellent and charming in her roles particularly as Deanna in “Doctor’s Order.” As the doctor she uses an unorthodox method to cure Cole’s (Catlett) flu. Her treatment consists of performing the anti-electro dance which consists of Bob Fosse-esque dance moves. Who says girls aren’t funny?
Delin must have had some interesting experiences in relationships to let the outside world know about them. All his characters are good people who are looking for and maintain love. They probably weren’t expecting the craziness that which it a bitch for He and She but gives the rest of a sigh of relief.
Heat &Hostility plays at the El Centro Theatre Circle Stage located 804 N. El Centro, Hollywood Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at and at 3 p.m. until Sunday, October 21 For more information log on to www.plays411.com/heatandhostil
