There’s something oddly familiar about the latest production at Dad’s Garage. Sure, those who frequent the theater’s shows will recognize cast members Rene Dellefont, Scott Warren and Clint Sowell from previous Dad’s improv shows.
But there’s still something I can’t quite put my finger on with “Fingertips: 21 Short Works Inspired by Our Favorite Band.” Perhaps it’s the band each quirky skit, video, slideshow and musical number that makes up this collection of shorts is inspired by. And that’s exactly how Dad’s Garage wants it.
The absurdity of doing an entire production based on a single band’s work makes for an entertaining series of shorts that are hilarious often because of their oddly discomforting nature.
Dad’s Garage and the mystery band are both known for their zany takes on things, so the motley cast of demented characters and circumstances in “Fingertips” are not only at home at the theater, but also show how these two entities are kindred spirits.
Among those that contribute to the wacky fun are a one-armed drag queen, a monologue made up almost entirely of board game names and a father who encourages his nerdy teenage son not only to borrow the car, but also to do such heinous acts as run over a homeless person with it in order to know how it feels to kill a man.
Though this may sound a bit grim, the trick is in the delivery with “Fingertips.” Like the unnamed band, the cast of “Fingertips” presents ideas such as a lonely and heartbroken woman drowning her sorrows in a bottle of Jagermeister in a surprisingly lighthearted way, making even the most tragic circumstance laughable.
If the song title references, hints in the program and other nods to the band’s identity weren’t already apparent, the show’s finale hits the nail on the head quite literally. In “21 Possible Answers to the Question: ‘Who’s Knocking on the Wall?’,” the skit features every cast member and, like the rest of the show, ranges from doom-and-gloom to ridiculous.
But it’s the beginning, and especially the end, of the skit that bring everything together as a man smashes the tips of his fingers while nailing a picture on the wall. And even those from Istanbul and Constantinople might (and should) leave “Fingertips” with a newfound appreciation for the clever minds behind this giant (at least in scope) stage production.
THEATER REVIEW
"Fingertips: 21 Short Works Inspired by Our Favorite Band"
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, July 30-31 and Aug. 1. $7-$22. 280 Elizabeth St., Suite C-101, Atlanta. 404-523-3141, www.dadsgarage.com.