Playwright: Buntport Theater Company (collaboration)
Venue: Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan
Street, Denver, CO
Company: Buntport Theater Company
Date of Performance: Thursday, June 7, 2012
Running Time: 75 minutes, no intermission.
It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while
a production is so innovative, so creative, so inventive, that I hardly know
how to describe it. And with “The
Roast Beef Situation,” words fail me.
It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And that, frankly, is a good thing.
While the plot confounds, the premise is clear. The Licensing Act of 1737 censored all theater productions in
England. Plays had to be approved
by the government before they could be performed. One of the more draconian requirements of the law required
that theaters could not use any dialogue that was not accompanied by
music. That’s right. No dialog without music.
Carlo Delpini, a
professional actor, clown, and pantomimist, was imprisoned in 1787 for
violating The Licensing Act by uttering the words “roast beef” without
music. It was, in his words, a
“mistake.” That “mistake”
(“misteak?”) is the premise for “The Roast Beef Situation.”
Erin Rollman (Morey) and Erik Edborg (Grub) |
Buntport casts
Delpini as the jailed protagonist, trying to rationalize his captivity and
escape it in any way that is both possible and legal. (It turns out that it’s legal to escape from prison in a
boat, but it’s not possible.) As
for the lesser lunchmeats, well, you’ll have to see “Roast Beef” for yourself.
“The Roast Beef Situation” asks the obvious
question: does this law make
sense? And it also answers that question, with a
random poll of 500 Londoners who think it does not make sense. As Delpini says, “quelle surprise.”
The performances are engaging, exaggerated, and
thoroughly entertaining. The
period costumes and makeup are surprisingly effective. The white face makeup and the lipstick focus
our attention on the facial expressions.
And those faces, at times, are as essential to the story as the script.
If we take “The Roast Beef Situation” simply as
“food for thought,” one would quickly come to the conclusion that The Licensing
Act of 1737 is misguided but irrelevant in 2012.
Or is it?
Do we dare ask the contemporary question “do these laws make
sense?”
·
Foreign law has been banned in Kansas courts.
·
Pregnant women in South Dakota must be told
that they have an "existing relationship" with the fetus before going
through with an abortion.
·
It is illegal for undocumented immigrants in
Alabama to get water in their homes.
·
Various states have enacted voter suppression
laws, despite a lack of evidence of voter fraud.
·
The Wisconsin governor is attempting to
prevent same sex couples from having hospital visitation access.
A lot has changed since 1737. Unfortunately, silly, senseless legislation
has not changed. “The Roast Beef
Situation” is a timely reminder of how the Ship of State sometimes veers far
off course.
I was “plausibly perplexed” at times. In the end, though, I was dazzled by
the concept, the performances, and the challenge of “The Roast Beef
Situation.” This production is a
unique experience that I recommend highly to all theater enthusiasts. You will laugh, you will scratch your
head, but you will not be disappointed.
This show runs through June
16, 2012.
Director:
Collaboration
Cast:
Brian Colonna (Carlo
Delpini)
Hanna Duggan (Stan)
Erik Edborg (Grub)
Erin Rollman (Morey)
Evan Weissman (Plausible
Jack)
No comments:
Post a Comment