Kaboom, a comedy written by Michael Small, follows the misfortunes and mishaps of a big-time San Francisco con artist named Rodney.
In his latest attempt to cash in big, Rodney has developed a scheme to sell Krokk, a pill that promises a 37-minute orgasm. But when his partner-in-crime accidentally destroys the stash of pills, Rodney has 24 hours to recoup his losses, which add up to a hefty $300,000.
The play is a modern-day reconstruction of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing-except featuring a Lithuanian kazoo player, a gay news personality and the peppiest delivery chick on the face of the planet.
Ray Wills, who plays Rodney, masterfully engages the audience in all of his guises, making us feel like we're in on the scam. And the performances given by Kristen Cerelli, playing a former New Yorker who now subscribes to some mystical new-wave exercise philosophy, and Laura Daniel, the peppy delivery girl, add the impeccable comedic timing that keeps the show light and fun.
Sure, after watching Kaboom you're unlikely to walk out of the theater in awe, but it is nonetheless a great production filled with clever social commentary, hilarious quips and lots of sexual puns.
ANAIS NIN GOES TO HELL
the Connelly Theater in The Village
Presented by Maieutic Theatre Works, a company based in New York, "Anais Nin Goes to Hell" is a provocative play that explores French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre's famous pronouncement that "hell is other people."
Andromeda, Abbess Heloise, Queen Victoria, Joan of Arc and Cleopatra are plucked out of mythology and history and placed together on an island in the afterlife where no men can ever set foot. While on the island, these women, who were in life courageous, daring and legendary, are left with nothing to do but to wait for their men.
Then Anais Nin, a Cuban-French author who has gone down in history as something of a feminist icon, finds her way onto the island and challenges each and every one of these women to define themselves outside of the world of men.
Written by David Stallings, the production is a powerful exploration of sex, gender and relationships all infused with comedy and sexual innuendo. For a play that could easily feel cliched and forced, "Anais Nin" is a stunning production composed of masterful actors, a detailed set and a plot-line so entertaining it had the audience on its feet for a good 10 minutes following curtain call.
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