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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style><span style="color:black"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"></span><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<b style><span style="color:black"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style><span style="color:black">MILK MILK LEMONADE, laugh filled, but message light at
convergence continuum </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">(Member, American
Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Joshua Conkels MILK MILK
LEMONADE, now in production at convergence continuum, is about milk,
right?<span style> </span>Wrong.<span style> </span>Its about lemonade, right?<span style> </span>Wrong.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Its about Katy Perrys song MILK
MILK LEMONADE.<span style> </span>Also, wrong.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">MILK MILK LEMONADE is about </span><span style>Emory, an
effeminate 11-year-old boy who lives on a farm with his Nanna, his old friend
who is a depressed chicken named Linda, who is about to be processed, and
Elliot, the pyromaniac kid down the road who bullies Emory, but likes playing
house with him.<span style> </span>Emory dreams of
appearing on <i style>Reach for the Stars, </i>a
reality tv show, winning, and becoming a Broadway star.<span style> </span>Between choreographing ribbon dances,
playing with his Barbie doll, talking to Linda, observing as the hen does a
smut mouthed stand up comedy routine, and sneaking into the barn to have sex
with Elliot, Emory is one busy little boy.</span><span style="color:black"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">According to the author, MILK
MILK LEMONADE started as an experiment in memory.<span style> </span>Its a<span style> </span>collage
of images, ideas and memories, many of which are completely false, from my
childhood.<span style> </span>The out gay playwright
goes on to say, I wanted to write a play about growing up queer that takes
place in a nightmare landscape that expresses how terrifying life can be for
gay kids in an expressive, rather than strictly literal way.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">What Conkel wound up with is a
very dark, melancholy, yet funny piece of childrens theatre for adults, filled
with questions of gender, life, death and what it means to be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The con-con production, as staged
by Cory Molner, leans a little much on comedy, and not enough on the depth of
the tale, but, as staged, will delight many.<span style> </span>It could only be wished that the dark underbelly had been
more well exposed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Scott Zolkowskis design of the
chicken costume, which used elements of <i style>Swan
Lake</i>, got howls of laughter on Lindas first entrance.<span style> </span>The molting as the show went on,
whether preplanned or not, added to the glee.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Wes Shofners chicken-processing
machine, into which chickens entered to come out as bagged or boxed
Chick-fil-A tenders, is hysterical.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Zac Hudak, he of huge eyes and
expressive face, well develops Emory, the pathetic man-child, yearning to be
gay and uninhibited.<span style> </span>He
longs to live in a make-believe world where he isnt bullied and controlled,
but allowed to be himself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Lisa Wiley is fine as the narrator
who interprets chicken talk and is the evil influence on Elliot.<span style> </span>Marcia Mandell is properly air-headed
as Nanna.<span style> </span>Sarah Kunckik was
chicken right!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Brian Devers has some nice moments
as the fire-obsessed Elliot, but there was a need for a stronger negative
personality which would have textured his conflicted bi-polar swings with his
sometimes tender moments with Emory.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style><span style="color:black">Capsule Judgement: MILK MILK LEMONADE, is a thought
provoking,<span style> </span>laugh filled play that
leans a little too much on comedy, and not enough on the depth of the
tale.<span style> </span>Though not for everyone, it
is tailor-made for the typical off-the-wall con-con audience member.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">MILK MILK LEMONADE runs through September
8<span style> </span>at 8 pm Thursdays, Fridays and
Saturdays at convergence-continuums artistic home, The Liminis, at 2438
Scranton Rd. in Clevelands Tremont neighborhood. For information and reservations
call 216-687-0074.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Ccs next show is Jordan
Harrisons KID SIMPLE running from OCTOBER 5-27.</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(204,0,0)" class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"> <br>
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br><span style="color:black"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"></span><br></span></p>
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