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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Reviews Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble presents Reviewed by Sherry Deatrick Entire contents are copyright © 2009 Sherry Deatrick. All rights reserved. The Invisible Space Castle of Despair is the 14th in Le Petomane's "U-Pick 'Em" series, according to the program. "U-Pick 'Em" means that the audience gets to play God by voting on choices the actors must make. Theoretically, every night will be a different play. Here, we are an "Intergalactic Space Council" called upon by Intergalactic Karen (Karen Ware) to weigh in by waving either a blue or orange card when Luna Mars (Heather Burns) can't decide what to do. As Karen explains, these cards are called "chads" that sometimes "hang." While that joke might have been funny nine years ago, it falls flat today. Maybe the cards could be named "Chad" and "Jeremy," and "Chad" could have s stick figure in a hangman's noose. Still, that would not make it funny. As the play begins, Luna, dressed in a futuristic pink outfit with star-covered wristlets, receives a message from her space scientist father, Alexander Mars (Tony Dingman). The message blips in and out (space transmissions aren't exactly reliable in 2054) but the gist is that he's being held captive by a space vampire (Kyle Ware) on the dark side of the moon. Major Thomas Thompson (Kyle Ware) and Mr. Hologram (Dingman) agree to ride with her to the moon. Will she take the slow but reliable ship, or the fast but unstable one? Our first choice was unanimous on opening night. It was the wrong choice. The ship blew up and the show ended. But the council felt bad and decided to vote again. Through the magic of traveling to a parallel universe, the road not taken was then taken and they arrived safely on the moon. The ensemble (minus Gregory and Abigail Maupin, who are both appearing on other stages) has created many silly situations for Luna and her friends she meets along her way to the Space Vampire's abode, the Invisible Space Castle of Despair. First, she plays a sort of "dating game" where she must choose her guide between a Ford-made robot named Zolofta (Kristie Rolape) and a hunchback named Jeff (Dingman). (I wonder how the show would have turned out if the hunchback had won since Rolape is the only actor who doesn't play multiple roles.) The outwardly fierce Zolofta dances and sings with Luna as they begin their perilous journey. The songs in this show are reminiscent of David Bowie circa 1969 (from the Man of Words/Man of Music LP on the "Mercury" label, get it?). Other characters include a bizarre sage and a two-headed scary monster. The show's high point is the Vampire's lament in song of the loss of his robot and two-headed moon monster following Zolofta's rejection of his advances. Ware "floats" through space like Bowie's "Space Oddity" astronaut, his words echoed back from a distorted microphone somewhere in the universe. Ware wears a disco-era red body-hugging shirt covered in puffballs or "popcorns" as we called them, a long black wig, black pants and a black cape. He may be out of style, but hey, he's been stuck on the dark side of the moon so he missed out on all the cool vampire trends since the 1970's. Although it has some funny and sweet moments, overall this show is not up to the level of artistry one expects from this troupe. The basic idea is clever, but could use further development. As it stands, it its plot is very "children's theatre" oriented. Not that there's anything wrong with children's theatre. However, that's not the intended audience here. There may be a market for a space-rock opera tinged with David Bowie glam, and the show could develop into a cult following if the "cuteness" is replaced with more campiness and punchier jokes. Something was definitely missing from this show and the ending lacks impact. The play and the cast seemed adrift, like Major Tom's tin can. Some members of the cast seemed too self-conscious and not really into the spirit of things. I don't mean to suggest that Le Petomane without Gregory and Abigail Maupin is subpar. Indeed, each member is talented and contributes a special sauce to the whole stew. Therein lies the problem: Le Petomane is a force unto itself now that its members have worked together for so many years and invested parts of their souls into the group. I would almost venture to say Le Petomane is on its way to becoming an egregore, and when any of its parts are missing -- whether it be a Maupin, a Ware, a Dingman, a Burns, or a Rolape -- Le Petomane's power is diminished. Or maybe the unpleasantly chilly temperature at the Rud on opening night interfered with the performance. Speaking of the Rud, the usual problems with sight lines abound, rendering no seat a good seat in the house, especially when, as here, both stages are used. The meaning I took away from this show is that your vote doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Whenever there was a "split" Intergalactic Karen arbitrarily selected the desired outcome, much like the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. And like the voters in those elections, we as an audience did not protest the results.
The Invisible Space Castle of Despair October 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31 at 7:30pm
The Rudyard Kipling
Tickets: $8-$20 pay-what-you-like sliding scale
Featuring Karen Ware, Heather Burns, Kyle Ware, Tony Dingman, Kristie Rolape
Posted October 18, 2009
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