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<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><b style>Farcical romp at convergence continuum doesn’t quite romp
enough</b></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Roy Berko</p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt">(Member, American
Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Convergence-continuum, known among
the local theatre folk as cc, has as its purpose a request to the audience to,
“leave behind the conventional reality of everyday life and cross the threshold
into an experience of the alternate reality.”<span style> </span>The theatre goes out of its way to find off-beat,
often mind blowing scripts.<span style> </span>Their
loyal audience knows what to expect, and usually gets it.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Buddy Thomas and Kenneth Eilliott’s
script, DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND, has Artistic Director Clyde Simon’s “produce
me-stamp” embossed all over it.<span style>
</span>Picture this:<span style> </span>aliens from
outer space, cross dressing, 1950 space age television characters come to life,
men with their shirts off, lots of special effects needed…come on, this<span style> </span>is a cc dream script.<span style> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND is a campy
spoof of the 1950’s sci-fi movies with a drag show twist.<span style> </span>It won the 2009 NY Fringe Overall
Excellence Award for Outstanding Play and was a nominee for the 2010 GLAAD Award
for Outstanding New York Off-Off Broadway production.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">The story centers on a Pulitzer
prize-winning woman journalist flying off to Lizard Lick, Florida, the hickiest
hick-town in all of America, to investigate the sighting and landing of men
from Pluto.<span style> </span>The script is filled
with flying saucers, backstabbing reporters, hissy-fits, muscle hunks, and men
with fake boobs in pumps!<span style> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">The New York production was
called: “Hilarious,” “One of the funniest shows in a long time” and “A honey of
a laugh riot.” </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">As can be expected, there is lots
of ridiculous.<span style> </span>But, and I thought
I’d never write of a Simon staging:<span style>
</span>the production needed more romp.<span style>
</span>It also needed a more consistent 1950 black-and-white television approach.<span style> </span>It’s not that the audience, at least
the typical cc audience won’t enjoy themselves. <span style> </span>They will.<span style> </span>But
there could have been hysteria, rather than bursts of giggles.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Amy Bistok-Bunce, as Mattie Van
Buren, has the perfect cadence and sound to create Lois Lane, of TV’s Superman
fame, come to life.<span style> </span>Her
enunciation and vocal pattern harks back to early ’50 shows.<span style> </span>She even has the staccato moves down
pat.<span style> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Zac Hudak, as the cross dressing
Lucinda Marsh, Mattie’s rival, hisses and cat fights well, but shows
inconsistency in character development.<span style>
</span>Jonathan Wilhelm, as the bouncing-bosomed Dotty Primrose, one of the
locals, whose pot-bellied husband has been whisked away by the aliens and
replaced by studly Geoffrey Hoffman (Tattoo), has some fine moments.<span style> </span>Clint Elston (Gort) flexes well as
another of the aliens who replaces a hapless Flat Lick resident.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Tim Coles doesn’t get the Perry White
editor of Superman down pat.<span style> </span><span style> </span>He’s much too real.<span style> </span>The rest of the cast needed some time
watching videos of early television drama to figure out how to create the
characters alluded to in the script.<span style>
</span>Oh, for true creation of characters as seen in FRONT PAGE DETECTIVE,
SPACE PATROL and CASEY, CRIME PHOTOGRAPHER. <span style="font-family:Helvetica"></span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><i style>Capsule Judgement: DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND is fun. <span style> </span>It could have been hysterical with a
more farcical, 1950’s stylistic performance approach.<span style> </span></i></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">MEN INTO SPACE runs through June 2
<span style> </span>at 8 pm Thursdays, Fridays and
Saturdays at convergence-continuum’s artistic home, The Liminis, at 2438
Scranton Rd. in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. For information and
reservations call 216-687-0074.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">Cc’s next show is Craig Wright’s
GRACE, running from June 29 through July 21.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">For a view of what other reviewers thought of this show go to: <a href="http://www.clevelandtheaterreviews.com">www.clevelandtheaterreviews.com</a></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">**************************************************************************************************************<br>
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