 Editor's Pick
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photo: Gorilla Tango Theatre
If theater that investigates all sides of a controversial event that's ripped from yesterday's headlines is your cup of tea, then this probably isn't the right show for you. Originally culled from a series of improv workshops based upon material taken from Gregg Olsen's book
If Loving You is Wrong, Court TV, E! The True Hollywood Story and a variety of quirky internet sources, this Chicago-based troupe, led by Dan Abbate, has fashioned a musical that borrows its tunes from several popular Billboard hits of the past. To a small extent this works.
Comprised as a series of blackout sketches with musical interludes, much like those so skillfully created and performed at Second City, the familiar tabloid story unfolds somewhat unevenly. Seattle schoolteacher Mary Kay Letourneau is portrayed as a not-so-innocent victim of her environment. Whether it's living up to the expectations of her white supremacist father with his own list of indiscretions, coping with her befuddled grandmother Nana Nadine (one of several roles skillfully played by Leslie Nesbit), or dealing with her insecure, self-proclaimed stud of an ex-husband, Steve, the 34-year old is portrayed at best as a needy, bipolar victim who turns to her male students in order to satisfy her own needs. More often than not, though, Ms. Letourneau is depicted as a villain living among a community of equally despicable lowlifes. Played totally for laughs the bawdy, often tasteless script mostly attempts to merely shock audiences with a barrage of four-letter words and overt sexual situations.
While three of the seven ensemble members are from the original 2006 Albuquerque, NM, production, this cast seems tentative and almost unsure of the material. More often than not words and especially lyrics were lost due to either poor enunciation or a blaring karaoke sound system. Choreography, as simple as it was, had the general quality of an amateur camp skit, as did much of the acting. It might be noted that there is a BYOB policy for this late-night show, and those audience members who seemed to enjoy this production most were those who had provided themselves with the most potent portables. (Colin Douglas)
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