Kitchen Dog opened the season from their new venue with a revival of their erstwhile, nihilistic hit: Pompeii!! A sardonic, vaudevillian fusion of hi-jinks, banter, song, gags, slapstick, and end days. The shtick and savvy of those zany productions (back in the day) make for a snug fit. We find mirth in the irony that come with living in the world. I survive a car crash, but next day have a heart attack. Considering context, the connection between misfortune and humor are deeply unsettling. But then, how do we mitigate a life fraught with vindictiveness and humiliation?
Pompeii!! opens with Sammy Mulligan, a political candidate/emcee who plays drums with the three-man band. Sammy and Jimmy Mulligan are brothers, and Sammy is always cracking gags at Jimmy’s expense. More snotty than amusing. Sammy has the barker’s knack for being loud, off-color, and manic. He sets the tone for cringe-worthy sketches of pathos and punchlines.
The bitter husband and his icy wife. She’s disgusted with his lack of prowess; the playground is strictly off-limits for him. Some of the acts go sideways. Inept technique, jokes that won’t land, confused cues. Skits or one-liners come from a place of xenophobia, racial hatred and religious intolerance. No marginalized human is immune. They’re all treated with veiled contempt.
The wheel of fortune spins. A constant reminder of the imminent volcano eruption. Parallels to the indifference of Nero and Alexander the Great are noted. The days of vaudeville and Pompeii before the catastrophe are intertwined. Urgent citizens sounding the alarm are ignored. Despite the distraction of entertainment, it barely conceals grief, anger, disillusionment and hopelessness. The drunk magician finally shows up. His prestidigitation is so lame it’s a stitch. Then it all turns. Seems the threat of annihilation is no match for everyday despair.
You hardly know where to start, describing the verve and velocity of these cunning, sharp, versatile players. There’s double-casting, and then THIS barely contained chaos. Each actor (except the emcee) plays four or five roles, with nearly instantaneous costume and attitude change. Here’s to: Max Hartman, Thiago X. Nascimento, Ian Ferguson, Aubrey Ferguson, Ivan Jones, Savannah Yasmine Elayyach, Tommy Stuart, Jeff Swearingen, Rowan Gilvie, Parker Gray and directors: Christopher Carlos and Tina Parker for this extravaganza of wretched regret and comic calamity
Kitchen Dog Theater presented Cameron Cobb, Max Hartman and Michael Federico’s Pompeii!! 4774 Algiers Street, Dallas, Texas 75207. kitchendogtheater.org. 214-953-1055.