24/SEVEN

Playwrights:

1.  David Atkinson, Oh, Hi There.  Didn’t See You Come In.

2.  Grant Swenson, Phase Omega.

3.  Michele Berdinis, Justifiable Homicide.

4.  Jenny Maloney, The Android At The End of the Sidewalk.

5.  Jordan Mathews, The Garbage Man.

6.  Jeff Keele, Fashion of the Times.

7.  Bert V. Royal, Lil’ Demagogue.

Music by:  The Funky Four

Venue:  Funky Little Theater, 2109 Templeton Gap, Colorado Springs CO.

Running Time:  2 hours 15 minutes (includes 15 minute intermission) 

Date of Performance:  Saturday, January 9, 2016. 

It’s time again for Funky Little Theater’s semi-annual 24/SEVEN accelerated play writing incubator.  It’s a 24 hour, single performance endurance test for playwrights, directors, actors, and everyone else involved.  

Funky compresses the creative process into a single day.  Writers gather on Friday night around 7:00 PM to get their assignments:  a cultural reference, a required line of script, a required character, and a prop.  The writers have until 4:00 AM to complete a 10 minute script.  Directors report at 6:00 AM, and each is assigned a script to review and stage for the 7:30 PM Saturday night performance.  Actors report at 8:00 AM to memorize lines and rehearse.  It’s a creative process on steroids, with a single performance of the finished product.

Obviously, there are tremendous strains on the participants, and some inherent unevenness in the results.  Some 10 minute plays will be brilliant; others less so.  The point, however, is not so much the product as the process.  It’s a giant collaborative high wire act requiring talented people to work together under difficult circumstances.  

So here’s the threads that were required for each script:

1.  Prop:  handcuffs.

2.  Required line of script: “I am Darth Vader, an extra-terrestrial alien from the planet Vulcan.” (Or words to that effect.)

3.  Required character:  Bertha.

4.  Cultural reference:  Donald Trump.

The required cultural reference was a bit of a gift to the playwrights; Trump is a soft target that the writers unanimously (and sometimes brilliantly) carpet bombed.  

That said, here’s a brief summary of the results.

1.  Oh, Hi There.  Didn’t See You Come In, by David Atkinson

Atkinson’s script opens with an oblivious woman smoking what appears to be a large joint.  She finally notices the audience.  “Oh.  Hi there.  Didn’t see you come in.”  Apparently stoned, she’s not sure what to do with an audience.  What follows is a fairly disorganized, seemingly impropmptu effort to entertain under difficult circumstances.  The script is a bit of a poke at the 24/7 process itself, demonstrating how difficult it is to create entertainment out of nothing.

2.  Phase Omega, by Grant Swenson.

Swenson serves up a sci-fi scenario, where humanity is about to move to the next level (“Phase Omega”).  It’s a huge project, and it started with a huge staff of engineers to create Phase Omega.  Now that it’s nearing completion, however, the last of the remaining staff is being laid off.  Swenson’s script is ambitious; he includes a romantic theme along with saving humanity.

3.  Justifiable Homicide by Michele Berdinis.  

Berdinis sets her story in a police station, where two homicide detectives are grilling a suspect.  It seems there has been a murder (the victim being the hapless cultural reference), and the suspect’s alibi is dubious.  Berdinis' script is funny, focused, and much more polished than one would expect under the circumstances.  Berdinis’ next project begins next week when her full length play Italy opens at Funky.

4.  The Android At The End of the Sidewalk by Jenny Maloney.

Maloney is well acquainted with writing for the stage, and it shows in her 24/SEVEN entry.  The android here is actor Bryan Dufaud, and he makes a great droid.  He’s short circuiting from getting drenched, so naturally his female costars help him out of his rain soaked shirt.  Dufaud does his best robotic moves trying to get his female humans to help him out of a big hole.

5.  The Garbage Man by Jordan Mathews.

Mathews litters the stage with sleeping homeless guys and garbage, setting up an appearance by “The Garbage Man” (insert cultural reference here). Instead, we get homeless actor Drew Frady.   It’s an interesting script, made more so by Frady’s antics.  Wearing a cooking pot for a helmet, Frady handcuffs his co-actors to a shopping cart, telling them the key to the handcuffs is in “your soul.”  Right.

  

6.  Fashion of the Times by Jeff Keele.

If your head is cracked wide open, there is no debate.  It’s not “fashionable.”  If you have a stab wound in your neck, same result.  Keele puts his characters into a difficult reality, where a doctor must treat both physical and emotional wounds.  It’s a biting statement about how fashion is sometimes detached from reality.

7.  Lil’ Demagogue by Bert V. Royal.

I was fairly harsh with the only other script I’ve seen by Mr. Royal, but his Lil’ Demagogue is a tightly written gem of a short story that ends with a punch.  In a bit of a Mary Poppins scenario, Royal shows us parents interviewing a nanny candidate for their 5 year old son.  It seems their son has gone beyond the usual mischief of a kid into seriously deranged behavior.  I won’t give away the ending, but it’s a brilliant use of the required cultural reference. 

This was the 7th edition of 24/SEVEN, and it’s a great opportunity for local writers, directors, and actors to flap their creative wings.  Funky and Chris Medina go to great lengths to develop new material and new talent.  It’s an important contribution to the local live theater community, and for that they deserve our praise and recognition.

By the way, after the show, on the way out of the theater, the audience members are encouraged to vote for their favorite 10 minute production.  I don’t know how the voting turned out, but I tell you that my vote went to Justifiable Homicide.  As Chris Medina said, though, they are all winners.  

NOTES:

Out of respect and admiration for the creative process, I have done what they did:  I wrote up this post in less than 24 hours.  Granted, my task is much easier than creating original work, but I could not in good conscience ponder a post for several days after seeing what can be accomplished in a single day.

Due to the unpredictability of 24/SEVEN, discretion should be used before bringing small children to this event.

Although not identified by name (neither the group or individually), Artistic Director Chris Medina referred to the 4 musicians as the “Funky Four.”  Good enough for me.  They added a preshow jazzy jam set, and played as transition between the 7 10 minute plays.     The live music was a first for Funky Little Theater.  I hope it’s not the last.  The Funky Four added just the right ambiance for an evening of edgy theater.

There is ample free parking in the strip mall parking lot just at the Funky Little Theater.  Concessions are available and can be consumed in the theater.

PHOTO CREDITS:  Funky Little Theater and BJ's Restaurant & Brew Pub.

Pre/Post Show Dining Recommendation:

We stopped at BJ’s Restaurant & Brew Pub at the University Village Shopping Center (5150 N. Nevada).  It’s one of our favorites for a good meal at a good price with consistently excellent service.  I had the flatbread Extreme Pepperoni pizza appetizer (which is plenty to eat).  

North Beach Mahi-Mahi and Shrimp.

Roxie had the North Beach Mahi-Mahi and Shrimp (roasted mahi-mahi seasoned with Big Poppa Smokers’ Desert Gold Rub, sautéed with shrimp, red onions, tomatoes, Kalamata olives and spicy garlic, served over couscous with fresh herbs).  There wasn’t a scrap of food left on either of our plates.  Oh.  She also had a Skinny Margarita.  Nothing left in the margarita glass either.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Artistic Director:  Chris Medina

Directors:  

1.  Kala Roquemore, Oh, Hi There.  Didn’t See You Come In.

2.  Tim Phillips, Phase Omega.

3.  Grant Langdon, Justifiable Homicide.

4.  Mandy Matthews, The Android At The End of the Sidewalk.

5.  Dylan McClintock, The Garbage Man.

6.  Michele Pantle, Fashion of the Times.

7.  John Hauser, Lil’ Demagogue.

24/SEVEN Crew of Badasses:

Marie Verdu, Crystal Bay, Justin Aguirre, Wil Sobolik, Judge Stanley.

CASTS:

1.  Oh, Hi There.  Didn’t See You Come In:  Alex Campbell, Reagan Herdt, Luke Schoeneman.

2.    Phase Omega:  Taylor Geiman, Jenny Hall, Chelsie Rigor.

3.  Justifiable Homicide:  Valiant Pico, Lacy Maynard, Justin Anderson.

4.  The Android At The End of the Sidewalk:  Autumn Silvas, Monica Erck, Bryan Dufaud.

5.  The Garbage Man:  Rebecca Haile, Ashley Yoo, Drew Frady.

6.  Fashion of the Times:  Sean Verdu, Jared Harp, Megan Lastrella.

7.  Lil’ Demagogue:  Emma Colligan, Jon Herrera, Eric Goering, Taylor Grzesik.

The Big Bang: An Explosive Musical Comedy

Book & Lyrics by:  Boyd Graham

Music by:  Jed Feuer

Company:  Spotlight Theatre Company

Venue:  John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Place, Denver CO.

Running Time:  1 hour 40 minutes (includes 15 minute intermission) 

Date of Performance:  Saturday, January 2, 2016.  (Opening night.)

To be clear at the outset, The Big Bang:  An Explosive Musical Comedy (hereafter The Big Bang) is not a stage version of the wildly popular TV show.  You won’t find nerds, geeks, and astrophysicists struggling with basic social skills.  Rather, The Big Bang now showing at the John Hand Theater is a clever, witty, and enormously funny pitch for a Broadway musical that covers the entire history of the universe.  If you think that sounds a tad ambitious for a Broadway show, you would be right.  Few would even dream of scripting a 12 hour show spread out over 4 days in 3 hour increments.

L-R:  Joe von Bokern (Jed), Blake Nawa'a (Albert), Ben Hilzer (Boyd).

But that’s exactly what Big Bangers Boyd (Ben Hilzer) and Jed (Joe von Bokern) set out to do.  “Boyd” & “Jed” just happen to be the first names of the writers of The Big Bang, so it’s probably not a coincidence that those are also the first names of the main characters. Parts of the script may be autobiographical.  If so, Graham and Feuer may actually be serious about bringing this script to Broadway.

The Big Bangers set out to convince their captive “investors” that they should shell out $83.5 million to put their show on a Broadway stage.  Hilzer and von Bokern enthusiastically pitch the show with excerpts from the draft, and frankly, the draft is pretty darn good.

One of the earlier bits has Hilzer as Adam and von Bokern as Eve, reenacting their glory days (“Free food and frontal nudity”) until Eve is tempted by the serpent.  It’s witty, it’s creative, and it’s extremely funny.  Hilzer follows with a spectacular drag performance of his own, showing us the Egyptian queen Nefertiti in “Viva La Diva.”  

Joe von Bokern as Ghandi's Mother, Ben Hilzer as Mary mother of Jesus.

It’s all in good fun, and at times, it’s also thought provoking.  There’s a skit with Hilzer and von Bokern playing the mothers of some difficult children:  Jesus Christ and Mahatma Ghandi.  Parenting a divinity or a world leader is evidently much harder than one would expect, and way funnier as well.

Hilzer and von Bokern meander through the historical highlights covered by the potential Broadway production, from the lions entertaining the Romans at the Coliseum to Spanish Queen Isabella financing Christopher Columbus...and beyond.  It’s a hilarious romp through skewed historical moments, all played for maximum comedic punch.  Both Big Bangers make inventive use of various set pieces for props (Beki Pineda handles the props), but it’s Hilzer who gets the biggest laughs for his creative use of a clock.  

This is a musical, and Blake Nawa’a’s fingerprints are all over the production.  He’s not just the musical director; he’s a full time onstage presence and a lurking background character.  He’s also the piano player, keeping the soundtrack moving forward even when the audience is laughing so loudly he can hardly be heard.  Hilzer and von Bokern carry the vocals which have some tricky lyrics and faithfully execute Christian Munck’s choreography.  Both Big Bangers have strong voices; while not miked, they had no problem projecting to the packed house.  

Director Katie Mangett is on a roll; her last comedy at the John Hand was the highly successful farce The Foreigner.  Now she’s got lightning in a bottle again with The Big Bang.  She’s got her cast timed perfectly; the punch lines are delivered like a boxer's hooks and jabs directly to the funny bone.  Susan Rahmsdorff’s costumes run from basic (both Big Bangers spend a fair amount of time in their underwear) to inspired (what she does to turn props into costumes is amazing).  Bernie Cardell’s set design is detailed and functional, providing Hilzer and von Bokern everything they need to sell the unlikely plot of The Big Bang.

The sell out opening night crowd responded with a extended standing ovation, and for good reason.  The Big Bang is high energy, non stop musical hilarity.  It’s not Sheldon and the gang.  It’s better.  There’s no laugh track at the John Hand Theater.  What you hear is real people and real laughing at precision physical comedy and witty tomfoolery.  

There are few guarantees when you buy a ticket to live theater, but The Big Bang is a lock.  You will laugh.  Your date/mate/spouse will laugh.  Everyone around you will laugh.  That’s exactly what we expect at a comedy, and The Big Bang delivers the goods.

NOTES:

Big Bang is suitable for all ages, although younger kids may not get some of the humor.  I think the term “politically incorrect” applies here.  The cast skewers nearly every possible ethnic group since the beginning of time, and there are some irreverent references to religion.

There is ample free parking in the lot just to the east of the John Hand Theater. Concessions are available and can be consumed in the theater.

Pre/Post Show Dining Recommendation:

My son Dan and his family spent the day with us, so we had a late lunch at Wines of Colorado in Cascade before hitting the road to Denver.  It was a good plan.  In good weather (think the 3 warm seasons in Colorado), it’s usually a busy place with a 15-30 minute wait for a table.  That’s because Wines of Colorado has awesome creekside outdoor tables.  That creekside experience, combined with an interesting menu and a fabulous selection of Colorado wines brings the crowds daily during the al fresco seasons.  

It’s one of our favorite local spots, and whenever we have out of town company we try to take them to The Wines.  Highly recommended, and only a few minutes west of Colorado Springs.

PHOTO CREDITS:  Spotlight Theatre Company & Soular Radiant Photography  (Wines of Colorado photos from their website.)

CREATIVE TEAM:

Artistic Director/Set Designer:  Bernie Cardell

Director:  Katie Mangett

Music Director:  Blake Nawa’a

Choreographer:  Christian Munck

Stage Managers:  Kerry Frakes & Maggie Fosse

Sound Design:  Luke Terry

Lighting Design:  Vance McKenzie

Properties:  Beki Pineda

Costume Design:  Susan Rahmsdorff

CAST:

Boyd: Ben Hilzer

Jed: Joe von Bokern

Albert:  Blake Nawa’a

Bill's Best, 2015. Eligible shows...

Eligible Shows for Bill's Best of 2015

New Smyrna Beach FL, January, 2015.

For those who have been wondering, I'm a little behind this year on my "Bill's Best" list.  That's because I've been working on a special project for the Colorado Theater Guild in my "spare" time.  That project is now complete and I'm starting in on the next big task:  Bill's Best of 2015.

As usual, I'm starting by posting a list of the shows I saw and reviewed this year (90 of them; a record number of shows for me).  It's a long list, so I sorted it by company, hoping that it would be a little more user friendly.  I can also do it chronologically, alphabetically by title, or pretty much any other way Excel will let me sort it.  Just ask.  I'll provide additional lists if they're needed.

First, a note on the 90 shows I saw.  It works out to about 1 show every 4 days, all year long.  It was a marathon, and it got in the way of some of my other life priorities.  I probably won't do that again.  Please don't be offended if we decline some offers to see shows, but please keep inviting Roxie and me.  We will do as much as we can, but less than in 2015.

It has just gotten to be too much to see so many shows in so many places.  I had several 4 show weekends (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and a couple of 5 show weekends (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and 2 shows on Sunday).  It takes me most of the next week to catch up with all the writing, and then it's back on the road for more shows.  

We took a break from Colorado Theater in May to tour the UK, Belgium, and France.  The pace of a show every 4 days or so is challenging; there were literally days when I wondered what I was thinking.  That was especially true the day in May when I stood here, in Stratford Upon Avon, and realized that we will all have our own final resting place one day.  From Hamlet:  Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity.  Ironically, Shakespeare, despite pointing out the inevitable banality of death, achieved a level of immortality few of us will ever see.  He's been gone 400 years this year, and he's still got his own company, his own theater, and a gift shop.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.  I saw some amazing theater this year, but I need to cut back some.  Our days here are finite, and how we spend them defines the quality of our lives.  Theater adds immense quality to my life, but so does time with family and friends.  Traveling to new places also adds quality to life, and seeing the home of the greatest English language writer of all time was hugely important to me.  I need to get to a better mix of theater, family, friends and travel in 2016.

I have the best hobby in the world.  I get to see an abundance of outstanding theater, and I get to tell anyone who will listen what I thought about it.  This year I was also added to the Colorado Springs Independent as their free lance theater critic.  Go figure.  They pay me to do what I had been doing for free for years.  Like I said, it's a perfect hobby.  I get to do what I love, and sometimes I even get paid for it.  (OK...it's a pittance, but it's > $0.00.)

It's been an exciting, interesting, challenging, and inspiring year to sit in a darkened room when some of the best theater professionals anywhere are doing their thing.  

He has his own gift shop.  How cool is that?

So here's your list of 90 shows (in alphabetical order by company and with convenient links to each review) that will be considered for this year's "Bill's Best."  

(NOTE:  this is NOT a list of winners...it is a list of shows that are eligible.)

1.  Harvey, Arvada Center (Drama)
2.  The Archbishop's Ceiling, Arvada Center (Drama)
3. A Man of No Importance, Arvada Center (Musical)
4.  Saturday Night Fever, Arvada Center  (Musical)
5.  Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Arvada Center  (Musical/Holiday)


6.  Fiddler on the Roof, BDT Stage (Musical)
7.  Buddy:  The Buddy Holly Story, BDT Stage (Musical)

8.  A Dog's Life, Black Box Theatre, Colorado Springs (Musical)
9.  The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) (Revised) Black Box Theatre, Colorado Springs  (Comedy)
10.  Scrooge's Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Black Box Theatre, Colorado Springs  (Holiday)

11.  Stupid Fucking Bird, Boulder Ensemble (Drama)
12.  Hysteria, Boulder Ensemble (Drama)
13.  Outside Mullingar, Boulder Ensemble  (Drama)

14.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Candlelight Dinner Theatre (Musical)

15.  A Public Reading of An Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, The Catamounts (Drama)
16.  Spirits to Enforce: “Superheroes, A Submarine, and Shakespeare… and the Triumph of Art Over Evil, The Catamounts (Drama)

17.  Avenue Q, CenterStage Theatre Company (Musical)

18.  Driving Miss Daisy, Cherry Creek Theatre Company (Drama)

19.  9th Annual Front Range Playwright's Showcase, Coal Creek Theatre Company (Original)

20.  Wittenburg, Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Drama)

21.  Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Musical/Holiday)
22.  Reefer Madness, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Musical)
23.  4000 Miles, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Drama)
24.  Guys and Dolls, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Musical)
25.  Rough Writers New Play Festival, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Original)
26.  Putting It Together, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Musical)
27.  Wait Until Dark, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center  (Drama)

28.  Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company (Drama)
29.  Lookingglass Alice, Denver Center Theater Company (Drama)
30.  Tribes, Denver Center Theater Compay (Drama)
31.  A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company (Holiday)

32.  Paging Dr. Chutzpah, Denver's Dangerous Theatre (Drama)

33.  What Color Is That Dress?, Dragon Theater Company (Original)

34.  Debbie Does Dallas:  The Musical, Equinox Theatre Company (Musical)
35.  Urinetown the Musical, Equinox Theatre Company (Musical)

36.  The Lion in Winter, Firehouse Theatre Company (Drama)
37.  Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Firehouse Theatre Company (Comedy)

38.  24/7, Funky Little Theater Company  (Original)
39.  Afflicted:  Daughters of Salem, Funky Little Theater Company  (Drama)
40.  Couple Dating, Funky Little Theater Company  (Comedy)
41.  Veronica's Room, Funky Little Theater Company  (Drama)
42.  The Little Prince, Funky Little Theater Company (Drama/Children)
43.  Lysistrata, Funky Little Theater Company (Drama/Classic)
44.  Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, Funky Little Theater Company (Drama)
45.  Hellcab, Funky Little Theater Company (Drama)

46.  Dreamgirls, Ignite Theatre Company (Musical)
47.  Big Fish, Ignite Theatre Company (Musical)
48.  La Cage Aux Folles, Ignite Theatre Company (Musical)

49.  West Side Story, Inspire Creative (Musical)

50.  Stick Guns,  Millibo Art Theatre  (Original)
51.  A Tuna Christmas, Millibo Art Theatre (Comedy)

52.  The Cripple of Innishmaan, Miner's Alley Playhouse (Drama)
53.  Pump Boys & Dinettes, Miner's Alley Playhouse (Musical)
54.  My Name is Asher Lev, Miner's Alley Playhouse (Drama)

55.  Gruesome Playground Injuries, Passage Theatre Company (Drama)

56.  Cabaret, PHAMALY (Musical)

57.  Beets, Read and Rant (Original)

58.  Shirley Valentine, Rocky Mountain Deaf Theatre (Drama)
59.  Silent Salzburg, Rocky Mountain Deaf Theatre (Drama

60.  Enchanted April, Spotlight Theatre Company (Drama)
61.  The Foreigner, Spotlight Theatre Company (Comedy)

62.  Dead Man's Cell Phone, Springs Ensemble Theatre (Drama)
63.  A Late Snow, Springs Ensemble Theatre (Drama)
64.  Circle Mirror Transformation, Springs Ensemble Theatre (Drama)
65.  Lonesome Hollow, Springs Ensemble Theatre (Drama)
66.  Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre (Original)

67.  Ham McBeth, Square Product Theatre Company (Original)
68.  Ranch Dressing and Other Coping Mechanisms, Square Product Theatre Company (Comedy)

69.  I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Stage Door Theater Conifer (Musical)

70.  Killer Joe, Star Bar, Colorado Springs  (Drama)
71.  Barefoot in the Park, Star Bar, Colorado Springs (Comedy)

72.  The Motherfucker With a Hat, The Edge Theater (Drama)
73.  Cock, The Edge (Drama)
74.  Jerusalem, The Edge (Drama)
75.  Lucky Guy, The Edge (Drama)
76.  Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Edge (Drama)
77.  American Girls, The Edge (Drama)

78.  Victor/Victoria, Theatre Company of Lafayette  (Musical)
79.  The Twilight Zone, Theatre Company of Lafayette (Drama)

80.  Psycho Beach Party, Theatre Out (Comedy)

81.  Detroit, Theatreworks (Drama)
82.  Happy Days, Theatreworks (Drama)
83.  The Liar, Theatreworks (Comedy)
84.  A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theatreworks (Comedy/Classic)
85.  Private Lives, Theatreworks (Drama)
86.  Ghosts, Theatreworks (Drama)
87.  Born Yesterday, Theatreworks (Drama)

88.  The 39 Steps, Thin Air Theatre Company (Comedy)

89.  'Night Mother, Vintage Theatre Company (Drama)
90.  Unmarried in America, Vintage Theatre Company (Drama)

Hellcab

Playwright:  Will Kern

Company:  Funky Little Theatre Company

Venue:  Funky Little Theatre, 2109 Templeton Gap Road, Colorado Springs, CO.

Running Time:  1 hour 35 minutes (includes 15 minute intermission) 

Date of Performance:  Friday, December 18, 2015.  (Regional Premiere)

I’ve been retired for more than five years, but I distinctly recall the days when work was a four letter word.  Hellcab made me and probably a lot of others realize that our jobs are not as bad as they could be.  At least I’m wasn't a white guy driving a cab on the south side of Chicago.

Chicago has always had a reputation as a tough place; Al Capone and John Dillinger were not good neighbors.  Despite some serious gentrification, Chicago today still has a high rate of violent crime, and the south side is arguably no safer than when Hellcab premiered in 1992.  

Set on Christmas Eve, Hellcab is frantic, disturbing ride through the frozen Chicago cityscape, from the upscale Watertower Mall to the battlefield of the south side.  As a cross section of the city’s citizens hop in his cab, our cabbie (Roy Ballard) is confronted with a full panorama of humanity’s capacity for chaos.  It’s the season of joy, but if you’re riding the Hellcab, it’s also the season of genuine strife.

Ballard plays the cabbie as a sincere, respectable working guy stuck in a jungle of social outliers.  It begins with his first fares, an older couple, giddy with religious zealotry.  They try to convince the cabbie to go to church with them (“some things are more important than work”).  Kern bookends his script with his least offensive characters.  The religious couple in the first scene is harmless; his last fare of the night (Désirée Myers as a depressed architect) delivers a dose of sanity to a chaotic Christmas Eve. 

Director Chris Medina demands a lot of his cast; other than Ballard, all play multiple roles.  They respond with some stellar work.  Myers is compelling in the final scene, mourning the loss of her mother but carrying on as best she can.  Medina’s touch in the last scene is striking.  Before they part, Meyers reaches out takes Ballard’s hand.  They pause, holding hands for all to see.  The image is beautiful, connecting the back seat to the front seat, the black hand to the white hand.  It’s the image we need on Christmas Eve.  Healing hands, together, bringing some peace to the chaos.

Ellen Regina’s “distraught woman” role is striking.  She’s distraught because she has just been raped.  Regina is equal parts traumatized, violated, and vulnerable.  It’s a cringe worthy performance for all the right reasons.  Regina also play a drunk, horny attorney.  (Insert your own drunk horny attorney joke here.)  She tries to seduce Ballard, who is having none of it.  Ballard’s cabbie is well disciplined; Regina’s vampy drunk would not have any trouble getting most cabbies into the back seat with her.

Speaking of getting into the back seat for some naughtiness, that’s exactly what Girl #1 (Erica Erickson) and Girl #2 (Alicia Franks) do.  It’s one of the lighter Christmas Eve moments in Hellcab, and one that plays into a common cab fantasy.  Franks and Erickson seem to enjoy putting our cabbie in a difficult position, and Ballard is convincingly confused about how to handle his passionate passengers. 

Dante J. Finley’s roles are often a little too stereotypical (baby daddy, a pitiful boyfriend) for my tastes, but his X-Hat performance is a standout.  The X-Hat is a black baseball cap with a big white X on the front, a reference to Malcolm X.  Finley is taking some static from his white cab driver colleagues because he won’t pick up black customers.  It’s a stark reminder that prejudice is sometimes found where we least expect it.  Finley’s X-Hat is an empty gesture to one of the most influential and most controversial leaders of the 20th century civil rights movement.

Roy Ballard as the cabbie.

Of course, the one constant in the ever shifting cargo of Hellcab is the cabbie, Roy Ballard.  Ballard is riveting, constantly trying to make small talk with his riders, but always alert to the danger around him.  He glances over his shoulder, watches his rear view mirror, and tells us how much he hates his job.  We ride along with Ballard, wondering whether any of us will be able to finish this shift.  Ballard is a cabbie we would all want; he's compassionate and concerned.  He's a good guy in a bad situation, and he's got more courage than most of us could muster.

Recently, I had the “opportunity” to spend some spare time waiting in line at the El Paso county Citizen’s Service Center at 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Road.  Like Kerns’ Hellcab, you will meet a diverse cross section of the community there.  Single mothers with kids in tow.  Jobless men and women looking for work.  Spanish speaking folks trying to figure out how to register the used 10 year old Honda Civic they just bought.  It’s where democracy meets the bureaucracy, and it’s a perfect people watching place.  Try it sometime, even if you’re not there on business.  Just take a seat and spend a little time looking at the faces of your neighbors.  You might see them as the real people they are rather than the abstractions we fear.

All of which makes Hellcab one of the best produced and most profound shows I've seen yet at Funky Little Theater Company.  Hellcab is set in Chicago, but it could have been set anywhere. Wherever you go, there are homeless desperate souls in our midst who are victims of drugs, crime, and other assorted indignities.  We can ignore them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  They do.  Funky Little Theater’s Hellcab gave us a harsh Christmas message.  It’s some tough love, but it’s also a message we need to remember all year long.

The cast of Hellcab.

Pre/Post Show Dining Recommendation:

Rocco’s Italian Restaurant is easy to find; it’s in what used to be the Steaksmith location at Academy and Maizeland (3802 Maizeland Road).  We met friends there for dinner before the show at Funky.  It’s about a 15 minute drive to/from the theater, weather and traffic permitting.

The draft beer selection is small, but it’s a full bar and a decent wine list.  The menu includes a half order of the lasagna, which for me would be plenty.  We had the cheesy Italian garlic bread appetizer and split a pizza.  

Service was splendid.  Stephanie knew we had to be at Funky for a 7:00 show, and she made sure we made it on time. 

NOTES:

Hellcab is adult material.  It’s probably OK for mature teens, but PG-13 for the young teens.  There is ample free parking in front of the theater.

While Hellcab is strong stuff, it is somewhat dated.  There are no murders.  The citizens of the south side may look at Hellcab as the "good old days" for that reason.

For a variety of reasons, I was not able to attend Funky’s Hellcab until closing weekend.  This show closes on December 19, 2015, so if you missed it, well, you really did miss it.

PHOTO CREDITS:  Funky Little Theater & Jennifer Westrom/Faith Photography