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‘Colorado’ @ Dad’s Garage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: C-
It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Dad’s Garage Theatre that those wacky playmakers over there on Elizabeth Street chose “Colorado” by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb to open their new season.
The over-the-top comedy has the requisite broadly drawn caricatures that do and say outrageous things, make light of dark topics, crack crudely about sex, and pepper the whole business with pop culture references. In other words, it’s business as usual.
Directed by Kate Warner, the dark comedy is set in the home of a family whose world revolves around 17-year-old Tracey (Elizabeth Neidel), a mean-spirited beauty pageant contestant who’s just been crowned Miss Late-Teen Colorado and is preparing to compete in the nationals in Virginia Beach. But when she mysteriously goes missing, her high-strung mom (Kathleen Wattis), browbeat dad (Doyle Reynolds) and weirdo brother (Randy Havens) each unravel in their own dysfunctional ways.
But really, who cares about the plot? It’s just a vehicle for smart-alecky humor and raunchy asides, most of which fell flat on opening night despite the back row of patrons (friends of the actors?) loudly yukking it up.
There is one moment when a spark of something below the surface is revealed. Toward the end of the second act, three characters simultaneously realize that their self-medicating habits —- overeating, inappropriate sex, self-help books —- no longer fill the void in their lives. But that revelation is quickly doused and forgotten. No time for exploring the darker sides of this black comedy. It’s on to the next joke.
Attending plays at Dad’s Garage is a theatergoing experience unlike any other in the city. The upside is that it attracts young audiences like no other theater in town. The downside is that it too often attracts them by striking the same sophomoric note onstage and cultivating a frat-party vibe.
When my companion for the evening expressed surprise that patrons were carrying in buckets of beer, I nodded knowingly and told her to wait. Sure enough, during a rare quiet moment in the production, one bucket was kicked over, sending bottles clattering down the steps.
Just another night at Dad’s Garage.
BOTTOM LINE: A dark comedy of smart-alecky humor and raunchy jokes, much of which falls flat.
THE 411: Through Oct. 20. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. $12-$20 advance, $14-$22 at door. Dad’s Garage Theatre. 280 Elizabeth St., Atlanta. 404-523-3141. www.dadsgarage.com
Comments
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By Van
October 7, 2007 1:09 PM | Link to this
It’s clearly evident from your opening paragraph that your review has nothing to do with the play, but rather a personal vendetta against Dad’s Garage. Your comment about “who cares about the plot?”…..well, if you were paying attention, the plot had many real life experiences the audience could and did respond to. If you were actually there you would know the entire audience was into the show, not a couple of back row patrons. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the production. Perhaps one of the best we’ve all seen at Dad’s Garage. If you’re going to write a review, write it about the play not the theatre. Bottome line: A REVIEW THAT FALLS FLAT ON IT’S FACE!