« They Are Not All Drunks | Main | Hasselhoff-range Missiles »
July 05, 2006
One Man What???
O.K. Chattanooga, you screwed up. We might be able to blame the 4th of July holiday, traditionally one of the worst times of year for theatre attendance, but the miniscule audiences at Tim Mooney’s "One-Man One-Man Play Festival" last weekend were embarrassing. No wonder entertainment promoters look upon Chattanooga with suspicion.
The few people that eschewed burnt weenies and fireworks—which, BTW, cost much more than a $10 theatre ticket—were treated to a one-of-a-kind entertainment that was original, weird and seriously funny.
A holiday picnic kept us away from the 6 p.m. show: Criteria. But Moliere Than Thou and Karaoke Nights were awesome. Moliere Than Thou was one of the most creative and refreshing pieces of classical theatre I’ve seen in years. Mooney pulled wigs and costume pieces out of an old trunk to perform eight of Moliere’s most famous characters, from Scapin to Tartuffe. He drafted audience members for a couple of scenes, including a hilarious seduction between Don Juan and a 15-year-old tomboy in Converse Chuck Taylors.
Mooney’s translations make Moliere’s 17th century language instantly accessible. His interpretations were crisp, stylized, and sang with the comic genius of playwright’s original intent.
Karaoke Nights suffered a little from the small audience. It screams for a good sized house with a healthy buzz. Nonetheless, the dozen or so of us who hung on for the 10 p.m. show had a blast. This time, Mooney channeled five characters, from an Ice Capades reject named Larry who jete’d back and forth across the stage, to a European of muddy origins named Sergio. Sergio provided my favorite moment of the show when he sang a song called "Bite My Tongue" while simultaneously tying up three audience members with his microphone cord.
During the break between shows, Barking Legs served beer and munchies, and we were even allowed to take the beer to our seats. What a concept. Plus, as my date and I drove away from the theatre, we were treated to the additional entertainment of watching four of Chattanooga’s finest munch donuts in a parking lot while hookers strolled up and down Dodds Avenue.
Producer Sabra York says she may try to bring Mooney back again in November. We’ll keep you posted. But here’s a clue: to catch the show, you’re actually going to have to get off the sofa and go to the theatre.
-Ruth Cartlidge
Blogtification | By pulseblogger | 11:06 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://chattablogs.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/32787
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference One Man What???:
