Dressed like a ringmaster, “Second Time” Sammy Mulligan, introduces us to a special vaudeville show set the day of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in 79 A. D. ; burying Pompeii, an ancient Roman city that was exceptionally evolved at the time. As we might expect from this brand of entertainment, there are all kinds of acts, stand up comedy, punchy songs, magic, bantering, puppets, clowns, soft shoe, and “plenty of hoke.” Appropriate to vaudeville, there’s cynicism, but also, an undercurrent of pathos, rage and cruelty. Doris and Harold are a married couple who keep disparaging one another, Sammy keeps making nasty remarks to brother Jimmy, the magician is so soused, yet earnest, your heart breaks for him.
As promised, pieces pointing to the impending catastrophe emerge. Martha and Gladys, two switchboard operators for Mount Olympus, sing an upbeat tune explaining the finer points of monotheism in light of the end of civilization. The townspeople are clearly engaged in pursuit of dissolute recreation: nursing hangovers and making sloppy passes. A wheel of fortune is spun, featuring destinies such as Annihilation, Plague of Locusts, Fiery Arrows (please forgive any inaccuracies here). Co-creators, Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico and Max Hartman, create a raucous, goofy, enjoyable variety show, but keep reminding us that horrific destruction is looming. We hear rumbling coming from Vesuvius, we see a comic sketch with an effete Roman emperor, we listen as Sammy takes a moment to share a bit of history.
It’s made plain that this is taking place in a world that’s all too familiar, regardless of when and how we live. People are stuck in jobs they despise, their lives are soured by feelings of worthlessness, disappointment and too much drink. Deities are either detached or cavalier. Cobb, Federico and Hartman evoke the paradigm we know from Noah’s Flood, The Black Plague, Nero Fiddling as Rome Burned, The Holocaust, i.e. people intoxicated on degeneracy when mortality’s inescapable. Absorbed in the troubles that afflict us all, they’d rather forget than seek redemption. Comparisons to the present day suggest America as a village of the blind, where a one-eyed despot is king. Pompeii!! is a stirring combination of reflection, hilarity, menace and despair. For satire, it’s fairly subtle and a grand, theatrical excursion.
Stand out performances from this resourceful, amazing cast include: Steph Garrett, Dennis Raveneau, Marti Etheridge, Jo-Jo Steine, Parker Gray and Jeff Swearingen.
Kitchen Dog Theater presents Pompeii!!, playing April 19th-May 6th, 2018. Trinity River Arts Center, 2600 North Stemmons Freeway, Suite 180, Dallas, Texas 75207. 214-953-1055. www.kitchendog theater.org.