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READ REVIEWS GET IN ON THE TEEN SCENES TEEN REVIEWERS AND CRITICS LINKS TO OTHER COOL STUFF |
Julia Hurvich Julia Reviews The Summer They Stopped Making Ludes by Another Urban Riff The summer of 2004 may not be the summer they stopped making ludes, but it may be the summer they stopped making any effort at all to intelligently or innovatively entertain today's young people. With such bubble-gum box office hits as "A Cinderella Story" and "Sleepover," the summer was looking grim. But all you angel headed hipsters out there can breathe a sigh of relief. Whether or not you were alive or not back then, the '70s turn out to be the coolest place to revisit this July in the new play The Summer They Stopped Making Ludes or How Taking Payote Turned Me into a Coyote written by the founder of Another Urban Riff and writer/director of the recent cult hit Mono. The cinematic edge engages the attention deficit audience of today's screen-glued youth, weaving together Tanenbaum's trademark surreal fantasy sequences with biting and at times poetic dialogue. Complete with a peyote-induced hallucination with Don Juan and the infamously hilarious sperm-and-egg ballet, the play achieves a highly original combination of genius monologues and complex characterizations interspersed with classic pothead ramblings and crotch groping. The '70s were indeed a lost decade with the rise of disco and the fall and disappearance of the upheaval during the '60s. My generation can definitely appreciate this intelligent angst, as every generation in a way feels as if they've missed out on all the good stuff, left without an identity and only disposable trends to call their own. The Summerƒ contains a memorable f- you rant that turns the need to be a part of something into a cynical hardness on the state of the '70s -- but maybe the '70s really did suck after all. Even if they did, this show makes you wish you were part of it. All the quintessential roles are in place -- the irresistible asshole played by the brilliant Nick Paglino, the coyote obsessed tripper Art played by the comic master Lawrence Jansen, the troubled air head Monique played by the talented and versatile Kerryn Feehan, and the idealistic college bound student Eve played by the beautiful Irene Longshore. First-time director Kerri Tucker is able to weave the snapshots of suburban drug culture together into a meaningful and stylistically sophisticated piece, scored with everything from Hendrix to Donovan. Throughout the play, various characters spend their time trying to prove they're alive, with everything from drugs to sex to poetry. In the last moment of the play, when the most subtle character, Eve, looks out into the light, all ready to bust out of her drug laden boyfriend swapping teenage existence, it occurs to you as you start to clap that the only person you have to prove you're alive to is yourself. And this show makes you feel alive all over. It's a must see for any substance starved student out there -- get it before they cancel the prescription. |
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