Coctails at the Center of the Earth (written by Simon Astor, directed by Greg LoProto) is an entertaining, confusing play. On the surface, it’s about a collection of exciting people who traverse from bar to bar, getting sloshed. There are various themes approached, such as class warfare, environmental damage, art and romance. There are also some catchy song and dance numbers.
Colonel Moutarde
Drill down, and there are more themes of destiny, longing and wanting to fit in. A lot happens at once, so it’s difficult to tell what should be the main focus. It’s easy to get swept away simply admiring the engaging costumes or keeping track of the winding narrative.
A few key plotpoints are that Colonel Gulden Moutarde uses ancient mummies to make fuel, whereas his rival, Gepetta Odenkirk creates self-winding robots, such as Daniel Engine. Lansing Montpelier and Helena Billings are penniless lovers who seek to profit from their rich cohorts, and Paravion Concord is a lesbian popstar who flies around a lot.
The entire 20-plus person cast leaps into their roles with reckless abandon. The energy stays high throughout, and the audience stayed laughing the whole time, whether someone made a funny joke or simply started acting strange. It’s a true joy ride through a whimsical fantasy universe. I wasn’t quite sure what the final message entailed, but I found the journey itself quite delightful.
Most of the cast
(Photos by Henning Fischer.)
Cocktails at the Center of the Earth goes up at the Royal Theatre at The Producer’s Club. Full performance schedule is:
Wed July 8th – 8pm
Thursday, July 9th – 8pm
Friday, July 10th, 8pm
Saturday, July 11th – 4pm matinee and 8pm
Sunday, July 12th – 2pm
Cost: $20 or Call: Lion Pinball Productions at 347-645-7219
Andrew Singer performs all over the NYC as comedic rapper “soce, the elemental wizard.” He has toured Europe and the U.S., and been featured on numerous media outlets, including MTV, VH1, Here TV, Logo, The Source, Out, Howard Stern and Sirius Shade 45. His music is available on iTunes.
Last 5 posts by Andrew Singer
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