Posted Review: Sick at Hyde Park Theater to Austinist
Disasters and diseases suck. They kill people, they inspire (with the aid of fearmongers) exorbitant amounts of anxiety, and they provoke playwrights to scribe trite, mawkish, pontificating tripe. Generally. In certain cases, when their implications regarding human relations are looked at from a philosophical, conversational point of view, they've a better chance at being successful (see: Neil LaBute's The Mercy Seat).
Sick is not one of those cases.
Posted Review: Murder Ballad Murder Mystery at the Vortex Theatre to Austinist
Remember that part in Jurassic Park when Ian What's-His-Fuck says something along the lines of, "They were so busy thinking about whether they could. No one stopped to think whether or not they should"? Murder Ballad Murder Mystery is like Jurassic Park sans dinosaurs and coherent narrative (right down to the theme of dead things being resurrected). Oh, it's visually stunning, resourceful, raucous, and joyous theatre-making, but there are clearly ill-conceived aspects to the whole affair. While fresh, the piece is unripe and therefore minimally nutritious.
Posted Review: Talking With at City Theater to Austinist
It's almost an adage in the theater: Monologue plays are dangerous. If not properly textured, they can be downward slopes into boredom and irritation for audiences. Performers can become "actress-y" when dealing with overtly narrative speech. It's common for a play like this to get derailed and stuffed with excessive space-fillers. These plays are deathtraps for amateurs...
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