Courtesy Monessa Esquivel does a little gender-bending with Saddam Hussein.

In 1996, San Antonio playwright Doyle Avant envisioned a world gone mad in the humorous political play “Khmer Amerika,” staged by Jump-Start Performance Co.

More than a decade later, Avant is back with “Blood Under the Bridge: The Last Redemption of Saddam H.,” another surreal political play brimming over with irony, satire and odd characters.

Director Steve Bailey was only too happy for Jump-Start to stage another piece by Avant.

“It’s a literal reconfiguration of the world. It’s a big vision,” Bailey said. “I hope that (the audience members) have an exciting and different theatrical experience. It will also challenge their aesthetic sense.”

“Blood” takes place in a parallel time in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The hotel, now a seedy brothel, also serves as Purgatory for the newly dead.

A singing Saddam Hussein is the lead character, battling the brothel staff and his own personal demons; Robert Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan, Marina Oswald (wife of President John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald), Jesus and some pole dancers are also part of the show.

Suffice it to say the plot is a bit complicated.

The show will be presented with environmental staging, meaning there is little separation between the stage and the audience.
The Jump-Star theater will be set up as the Ambassador Hotel, and the action will take place onstage and off.

“It’s more about the atmosphere,” Bailey said. “It’s highly visual.”

Monessa Esquivel — best known for starring in “As Filthy As It Gets” — plays Hussein, despite being the wrong sex.

“I just want to use the best people. I don’t care about their gender. We just cast people who could really fill it out,” Bailey said. “Since Saddam was a misogynist, there is some unintended irony about her playing this role. It wasn’t our original intention, but we’re happy it’s there.”

Part of the Electric Performance Lab, “Blood” is still in its developmental stages; the final version will be staged during Jump-Start’s 2009-2010 season.

That means the playwright, director and performers want feedback from the audience. Post-show discussions will be held on Saturday, May 10, and May 17.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor