Austin company lifts curtain on most ambitious work yet.
The word spectacle gets thrown around a lot these days, but when one has to describe the work-in-progress version of Rude Mechanicals’ I’ve Never Been So Happy, it’s the only word that seems to qualify. The moment you step into the company’s Off Center—before a minute of the play is shown—you enter into a world of energy and fun full of dancers, musicians, artists, and all manner of talented folks putting on an interactive show that might make you forget you’ve come to see a play. Once the play starts, you’ll just want to see more, making the months of waiting for next three scenes that much harder.
There’s a lot of attention surrounding Rude Mechanicals’ latest production, thanks to the National Endowment of the Arts, which honored the Austin company with one of only five Distinguished New Play Development grants in the entire nation this year. With this much pressure leading up to the show, it’s easy for one to go in expecting too much, but it stills delivers on all accounts. The combination of live theater and a innovative form of shadow puppetry comes together to make a truly unique spectacle, a furious flight of fancy filled with light, color, and some very catchy tunes.
The scenes featured in this portion of I’ve Never Been So Happy involve a young girl named Anabellee, her father Brutus, and the dachshunds that must race to decide whether or not she will gain her freedom. You heard right—weiner dogs for freedom. Along the way we are treated to a family variety show, complete with a crew of talented dancers, a puppet fashion show, and plenty of jokes about rope. With the show already showing such signs of greatness, and given time to incubate and polish, there’s no end to the fun that could be had.
The book and lyrics for this musical are the work of one of Austin’s most talented writers, Kirk Lynn, who has written several acclaimed works for Rude Mechs in the past, including Match Play, The Method Gun, and Decameron Day 7: Revenge, all of which have had successful tours all around the U.S. With this newest production, Lynn once again breaks new ground, and the quality can only increase from here on in. Providing the jams for this piece is Peter Stopschinski, one half of the famed Golden Hornet Project, and counter-culture musical icon in the Austin area. With this work, his frenzied strings and toe-tapping guitar make for an awe-inspiring experience. Together these two have created what could turn out to be one of the most entertaining and unique experiences to come out of Austin theater.
Considering the outrageous nature of some characters within the play, not to mention some of the strange situations, the actors had to be at the top of their game to pull it off. Though roles such as Anabellee and Brutus, may seem simple at first, it would be easy to play them off as caricatures or clichés, or spend too little time establishing depth in their short stay on. Meg Sullivan and Lowell Bartholomee are able to give us just enough, however, so that we get a taste of just what kind of people they really are. The true stars of this production, however, were Sigmunda and Siegfried, the two dachshunds at the heart of the story. Jenny Larson and Paul Soileau play the parts with playfulness and flair, and will have you cracking up with just a few movements, or a turn of phrase. They help to keep the energy high, leaving the room nearly electrified during many scenes.
This production may only give you a taste of what’s to come, but that small bite will leave you wanting the whole enchilada by the time it’s through. Come on down for free drinks, archery, dancing, paper cutting, even a little bit of dress up, and, of course, one of the most talked about plays of the season. The hardest part is being patient enough to wait through the coming months to see the rest of the story. But that’s a small price to pay for a production such as this.
This peek at the work in progress runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (Dec 11-13) at 8pm at The Off Center (2211 Hidalgo). Tickets are $10, and are available here. |