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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Reviews Walden Theatre presents Reviewed by Keith Waits
It Came From Indiana, an original play produced by Walden Theatre and written by Walden Theatre Alumnus Hank Willenbrink, attempts to follow in the tradition of the play and film of Little Shop of Horrors, the Musical, and movies such as Mars Attacks and Alien Trespass. All of these projects use plot and motifs borrowed from 1950's horror movies, building a pastiche of the genre while telling a story that puts a post-modern spin on things. The specifics of Mr. Willenbrink's plot, which takes place in the Rubbertown district of Louisville, involve a highly unexpected source of evil contained in a line of children's toys (but never fully explained) that exercises a form of mind control over teenagers (presumably all people but only illustrated with teenagers) so that they think and act alike. Besides the obvious but effective commentary on conformity and the peer pressure inherent in the adolescent experience, the details provide opportunities for humor reliant on the Louisville setting (e.g., a joke about the questionable driving skills of Indiana residents). Although the self-referential aspects of the story are well-observed, the material is refreshingly free of tired clichés. Make no mistake, clichés abound, but they are given just enough of a fresh spin so as to not strain the audience's forbearance. More problematic is the attempt to structure the plot as a story-within-a-story by presenting scenes as part of a vaguely defined student film project. Far from providing a foundation for multi-level commentary on the action or the popular culture references, it functions mostly to confuse the audience. More successful are the performances, particularly several girls who took full advantage of the opportunity to parody how their peer group is portrayed in the mass media on shows like Gossip Girl. Eden Foley, Courtney Doyle and Olivia Brown were standouts, adroitly skewering the vapidity in the popular image of teenage girls found on television. Molly Kaviar and Sabrina Spalding, both Walden veterans, were solid presences as the most grounded characters, holding the center in a professional manner. Marshall Makk had a sure way with his well-written and humorous dialogue, although he also felt stiff and occasionally let his eye line drift onto audience members. His love triangle with the delightful Miss Kaviar and the glossy but stereotypically popular girl, fearlessly played by Rachel Prater, suffered somewhat from his distraction. The production made good use of the classic sights and sounds found in horror movies, stealing freely but appropriately from a variety of famous films for its effects. In the end, It Came From Indiana is enjoyable satire, and despite its faults, I give Walden Theatre credit for, in effect, extending its long-running Young Playwrights program by giving the opportunity to a young writer to get his work onstage. Developing new talent is one of the fundamental goals of this important program, and the play and the playwright have potential worth tracking in the future.
It Came From Indiana October 23 - 31, 2009
Posted October 24, 2009
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