by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Last month EU writer Kellie Abrahamson visited Boomtown’s Pulp Fiction Theatre and wrote an excellent overview of the concept, the mission, and history. Since I almost exclusively review just theatre, I decided to take in a performance from a critic’s viewpoint.
To refresh your memory, Pulp Fiction Theatre is presented every Thursday night at 8:30 and you can purchase tickets for the show (a bargain at $ 5.00) or you can, as I did, enjoy a meal from the very eclectic Boomtown menu.
Each show features three playlets and last Thursday’s opener was a readers’ theatre selection. Actors sit in a line of chairs and read the script. When the material is well received, it will be done as a real play in the future.
Book of Love by Steve Bailey concerned a young schoolteacher whose love life seem to parallel the course of a pulp novel he is reading. Playwright Bailey played the psychiatrist, and four other actors were featured. I won’t reveal anymore about the plot as it is bound to change before it is mounted as a real production, but I will say it has some very offbeat humor.
The way I judge readers’ theatre is to close my eyes a few times in the course of the reading, to see if the actors sound like they are acting or are they just reciting. This cast for the most part was very lively and animated, given the limitations of sitting.
Abstinence of Malice, the second show, appears to have become a staple for this group. It has sex, violence and some very funny lines. A schoolteacher is bored with his marriage, falls for a sexy neighbor jogger (female of course, and wearing very tight, tight shorts) His dalliance almost turns out to be fatal.
Snatch the Snatch, the third offering, according to the Mistress of Ceremonies, Boom Boom Temptoria (a fake name, can’t you tell?). This was written in l934 by Max Allen Collins. It probably bears very little resemblance to the l934 version, since the first thing mentioned is the AIDS epidemic, followed by characters that talk to television sets (Neither of which existed in the 30s).
I thought the acting was good over all, and you can see the varied levels of experience in the performers. The playlets are by nature farcical, which invites broad gestures and overacting which the audience, enjoyed.
Costumes are simple but used effectively. No attempt is made to match the actor to the script most of the time, so they may be describing a redhead but the actor playing the role is brunette. Likewise, the description might call for a fat person, but the actor playing it will be skinny as a rail. Hey, it is all in fun.
The sets are simple as well, mainly using the furniture at Boomtown, which in itself is unique with lots of couches and overstuff chairs. The accompanying sound, both music and sound effects, enhanced the performances. To say the lighting system is primitive would be correct, but it works and you are able to see everything clearly.
Before the show, Boomtown co-owner, Stephen Dare, gave us a very informative lecture on the history of Pulp Fiction.
The cast, who play a variety of parts in all the shows includes, John Allen, Steve Bailey, Amy Demarco, Travis Salter, Amy Goodman, Rebecca Weaver and Amy Hilton.
I have eaten at Boomtown a number of times, starting when they were located out on Main Street. I am not really a restaurant reviewer, but I have always found the food to be well prepared and unique. When you look at the price of a menu item, be sure to divide by two. Their portions are so large I guarantee you will always get another meal to take home.
Parking downtown in the evening is free on the streets, and there is plenty of it. No worry about tickets, the meter maids are home either sleeping or reading pulp fiction.
One final word, before the performance, the audience is made aware that there is adult language and adult situations in the show, and you are invited to leave at that time. (No one did)
Visit this group at http://pulpfictiontheatre.tk/. All performances are in the heart of downtown in the only underground restaurant in the city (that I know of). It is lots of fun.
|
