Clean-up Needed on "Aisle 7"

Saturday night, we struck out for the UT campus (in spite of the ricin scare) to take in an evening of theatre. Between PR and local coverage, our curiosity about UT's production of "Aisle 7" was adequately piqued.

But first, some helpful information for those of you who, like us, didn't attend UT. "Aisle 7" is being performed at the B. Iden Payne Theatre, the location of which you won't find anywhere online. Go 'head. Prove us wrong. Anyway, it's in the Winship Drama Building on 23rd and San Jacinto. And here's another thing you might not know: free parking is actually very easy to come by on a Saturday night at that part of campus. So there ya go! No more excuses not to check out performances at UT.

And though it had its problems, we think a lot of Austinist's readers would enjoy checking out "Aisle 7." The acting was outstanding, the direction was strong, and the set was very cool -- especially if you spent years in high school slaving away at your local grocery, as we did. Brought back memories. *shudder* But more on that later.

First, let's talk about what didn't work: the script by Kendall Lynch. Things kicked off with plenty of promise. We were engaged in the story, cared a lot about the characters, and by somewhere around the halfway mark -- when things are supposed to really get good (y'know, the story arc hits its high or low, depending on your perspective) -- we definitely wanted more. But then things started to fall apart, and not in a good way. Lynch has a great idea here: place a cracked-up woman in a grocery store utopia, send in an alluring stock boy...who turns out to be a stock girl...to mix things up, and see what happens. But when nothing happens, and all the audience is given is several very confusing monologues, an ill-explained extra character, and lots and lots and lots of annoying, declarative statements to wrap things up, it's very unsatisfying. Indeed, even frustrating.

That being said, there's plenty to like about this production. In particular, we were utterly wowed by the acting. In the lead role of Camille, Jenny Keto had us riveted. Part petulant child, part Stepford wife, and part psychiatric patient, she easily held our focus, and pulled us into her character's world effortlessly. As her seducer Valerie, Kimberly Adams was at ease and confident -- the perfect foil to Camille. We found Adams' relaxed presence a real pleasure to watch. The third female lead, Robbie A. Darby as Delia, was strong, but the character was confusing, and we weren't sure what to make of her. Again, though, fault lies with the script, and Darby turned out a solid performance as a conflicted grocery store clerk. All players in the ensemble cast -- depicting random store workers and shoppers -- were completely charming, and were utterly committed to their work. Last but not least, Joe "The Kid" O'Hare was fabulous as the Man on the Intercom. His role served many purposes: the voices talking in Camille's head, Big Brother watching the store's employees, and more. While we never saw O'Hare until the curtain call, his character was key to the play, and his spot-on timing and vocal range (alternately silky smooth and roughly harsh, as needed) were a delight.

Because the performances were so good, we have to give props to director Corey Atkins. The play zipped along at a wonderful, frenetic pace, and the blocking -- dance-like moves from the ensemble, a rolling seduction scene in a grocery cart, and more -- was clever. Further, the scenic design from Kim Gritzer was thoughtful and creative. The audience sat on both sides of the large stage, creating a grocery aisle for the actors to play in. Each end of the aisle was hung with long sheets of heavy plastic -- the kind you find in a meat or dairy locker -- and from there the players came and went. Accompanied by D. W. Jones' sound design, which included 1970's Muzak, subtle announcements, and plenty of grocery store boops and beeps, the overall production value of the piece was high.

All in all, we wish we'd seen these talented folks sink their teeth into a worthier script. Also, we feel compelled to disclose that our stalwart husband did not enjoy the production at all. But as we said, the compelling performances and the impressive production work saved the night for us. Now that we know where to park and how to find the theatre, we'll definitely keep UT in mind the next time we're looking for a night of unconventional theatre.

image (c) normanack on Flickr.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Julie Holden in Arts & Entertainment on February 27, 2006 12:56 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Greg Romero

Dear Elephant Man and Jooley Ann:

I actually can't stand the overabundance of "glowing" reviews in this city. The lack of rigorous, thoughtful arts criticism is one of the reasons why Austin (and most other cities in this country) continues to underachieve despite the impressive collection of talented people working in the theatre.

I wish wish wish wish wish more reviewers would challenge artists to do better work (there are several well-known theatres in the city who have gotten soft from all of the praise).

However-- part of the rigor I'm speaking of is a rigor of understanding (or attempts at understanding) that comes with evaluating new plays. I don't feel you can just apply the same tools on new/alternative work that you would with older, established, more conventional work. They are different things and require a different kind of evaluation-- particularly in a university setting where we generally (and hopefully) are taking more risks in our pursuit of creative discovery and the emphasis in the work is placed more on exploration than it is on product.

All that being said, I'm happy to read that you can identify Kendall Lynch's talent and the talents of the rest of the creative team of AISLE 7.

I do hope that The Austinist continues to check out the work that we are doing at the University of Texas.

until then,

Greg

Jooley Ann

Indeed, the elephant man has a point. I think my age might surprise you. But thanks for calling me "young." I don't get that too terribly often anymore. (Neither am I "old," but somewheres in between. A lady never reveals her age. *sniff*)

I understand what you're saying, Greg. However, there's a difference between a challenging and satisfying unconventional work, and a confusing and frustrating unconventional work. To me, "Aisle 7" is the latter. It unravels in a way that leaves the audience wanting. Several of the monologues in the second half of the work are redundant. Further, they have the feel of earlier pieces that the author was proud of, so she shoehorned them into the play...even though they don't really fit. Or perhaps they were the springboard for the narrative? Either way, I found the result to be muddled and very loose.

All that being said, I do think the piece has great potential, and I surely don't mean to write off the playwright or her work. I agree that UT has a very impressive force of creative talent -- something I discovered with this performance. That's a powerful resource for a playwright. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing more effectively than seeing one's work come to life.

I did struggle, thoughtfully and carefully, to understand this piece. Perhaps it's not a style of storytelling that I can appreciate, though I honestly don't think that's the issue at hand. I appreciate your comments, and hope you'll continue to criticize my criticism.

You have a beautiful day, too!

--Jooley Ann

the elephant man

holy crap, theater people.nobody in theater in this town can stomach anything besides a glowing review that fits what they want to hear.

and i thought I was sensitive.

ps. mr. romero, how do you know jooley ann's age anyhow?

-the elephant man

the elephant man

holy crap, theater people.nobody in theater in this town can stomach anything besides a glowing review that fits what they want to hear.

and i thought I was sensitive.

-the elephant man

Greg Romero

Dear Jooley Ann:

I'm glad you attended this performance-- the work of the Playwriting students at UT is largely under-appreciated in this community, despite the incredible amount of talent within its current roster and among the program's alumni.

That said, it is dissappointing to me that you didn't find more merit in this script.

It is very dissappointing to me that theatre reviewers, particularly young ones who work for more alternative publications like THE AUSTINIST, are still viewing live theatre through a very very limited lens of expectations.

And while the script is not perfect (nor should it be-- this is its first-ever production) I find it unfair that you would evaluate this script based on a conventionally narrative, realistic model of story-telling.

Isn't it obvious that the play needs to be understood on different terms?

In fact, part of the play's power is that it turns those conventions/expectations on its head in a very satsifying way.

It seems you recognize some of the play's unique qualities-- you close your review by calling this performance "unconventional" theatre-- yet you fail to find the play's power by housing your understanding within a framework that clearly doesn't belong.

To offer another metaphor-- a grocery metaphor-- you are criticising an apple for being on orange.

And to me, this sort of short-sightedness in theatre reviews is an unfortunate obstacle that writers who are taking bold and challenging risks in their work have to overcome.

It is my hope that you continue to see the work that me and my colleagues are doing-- experience and thoughtful reflection is the best way to shift this paradigm of understanding.

have a beautiful day,

Greg Romero

Jooley Ann

Ha! Awesome! And lighting fast. There's nothing like a challenge to bring out the smarties. I could not, for the life of myself, find this on Saturday. Thanks Rebecca!