As promised, I made it to see the brand-new play DEEP FRIED CHEESE by Tore Ingersoll-Thorp, produced by equally-brand-new theater group Sleepwalkers Theatre.
This is the play I mentioned earlier about a competitive eater whose girlfriend becomes a vegan — a brilliant conceit with built-in drama, conflict and dudes shoving a lot of food into their mouths really, really fast.
My opinion: We should all keep an eye on these crazy kids. First of all, they had super-high production values for being such a low-budget show in the teeny little Climate Theater (which, for those not in the know, is a living-room-sized space crammed above a club known for ecstasy-fueled all-night parties).
Great lighting, just the right amount of props, plenty of hot dogs ready to be crammed down throats, and music composed specifically for this show. (Which also shows these guys are pros: scene changes aren’t easy in such a cramped space, so it’s good to have something cool to listen to.)
The other thing I really dug: Besides the nuttiness you’d expect from the premise, the play also had genuine, sincere emotions. It’s a real play, not just a goofy sketch stretched to the breaking point.
The crowd was young and glad to be there; the beer was only $2 (and we’re not talking Milwaukee’s Best here); the room was unbelievably hot; there were drunks hanging around outside; and a rave was about to start underneath us. What more could you ask for?
4 responses so far ↓
Enrique // August 18, 2007 at 2:57 pm |
Hot! I hope I get to see them strut their stuff soon enough. Thanks for going stealth and reporting!
No More Rubber Cheese Plates! « DIRECT ADDRESS // August 30, 2007 at 7:46 pm |
[...] Theatre: Seeing tons of people at DEEP FRIED CHEESE who all seemed to know each other, or knew people who knew each other, and then being offered a $2 [...]
LOST & FOUND by Sleepwalkers Theatre « DIRECT ADDRESS // February 18, 2008 at 2:57 pm |
[...] wrote about these guys a while back. Sleepwalkers is a new theater company dedicated to producing really good new theater at a low [...]
What I Want To See In March « Direct Address // February 23, 2009 at 5:05 pm |
[...] friend, Manny tries to navigate the monsters looking to capitalize on his story. You know I love this company’s [...]