[NEohioPAL] Berko review: MONSTER PLAY @ Theatre Ninjas/CPT

[Roy Berko]

MONSTER PLAY, Jeremy Paul’s imagination again goes wild 
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--
Lorain County
Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times            
 
--COOLCLEVELAND.COM—
 
When Jeremy Paul, the creator and director of MONSTER PLAY,
now getting its world premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre, was a child, he was
afraid of monsters.  A normal kid
would be afraid of bats, witches, the thing under the bed, or the boogey  man.   As has been demonstrated in many of his previous
productions, Paul’s fertile imagination doesn’t follow the “normal” path.  Believe it or not, his monsters were
robots.  Yep, robots. 
 
As I  said in a
previous Theatre Ninjas’ review, “being inside Paul’s head must be like being
in a labyrinth of a fun house.  Weird visions must swirl around and around.  The result of Paul’s creativity is usually fascinating and
confounding theatre.”  MONSTER
PLAY, his latest invention, is true Paul.
 
The evening starts out with the author, sounding like Bela
Lugosi of Count Dracula film fame, warning the audience to turn off their cell
phones and not dare to crinkle candy wrappers.  Or else!  You
have been warned.  The bizarre is
about to begin.
 
Paul creates a combination of monsters, fantasies and
haunting metaphors.  Andrew
Kaletta’s set, is a canopy of fabrics draped over the theatre-in-the-round
playing area.  Large blood covered
tarps often enshroud the actors making them into a solo monster, and other
times individual actors are wrapped in the cloth.  Startling Benjamin Gantose lighting effects, including a
strobe light, add to the visual illusions.  Blood inked actors assault the senses. 
 
Paul inserts comic routines that delight, including a
walking version of the shower scene from the movie PSYCHO, a macabre segment
from Little Red Riding Hood, and several Grimm’s fairy tales.  
 
Paul doesn’t just stop at getting you ready for Halloween,
he also takes on the real monsters:  religion, doctors, and parents. 
 
Yes, as the conceiver warns, “Monsters haven’t gone
anywhere, they still wait outside our houses, our closets, beneath old bridges,
and in the grills of cars as they run stop lights.”  
 
The cast is well versed and trained.  They consume the stage and the
imagination. Ray Caspy, Stuart Hoffman (adorned in a hair shirt), Val Kozlenko,
Jenni Messner and Lauren B. Smith morph from role to role with ease in their
grubby blood and dirt stained rough-clothed costumes. 
 
Since the audience is no more than 15 feet away from the
performers, the cast’s grunts, moans and smells are up front and personal.  It all adds to the bizarre effect.   
 
A pre-tween girl watching the performance I saw, spent most
of the evening clinging to her father, being devoured by Paul’s
imagination.  I’m sure she spent a
sleepless night.
 
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  MONSTER PLAY is a fun, confounding and psychologically
disrupting experience.  It should
be on the must see list for every warped teenager, and will also appeal to adults
who are fascinated by things that go bump in the night.
 
MONSTER PLAY runs through October 29 at Cleveland Public
Theatre.  For tickets call
216-631-2727 or go to cptonline.org.
 
CPT’s next offering is the world premiere of YA MAMA! by the wonderful
Nina Domingue, running November 3-12.
 
 
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.  His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and www.NeOHIOpal, while special features appear at http://artsamerica.org.
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