by Charlsie-Kern Kruger
It surprises me to be saying this, but something truly wonderful has blown our way from the heart of MAGA land in East Texas. Playwright Matt Lyle understands his characters thoroughly, whether he’s presenting an angry Black intellectual, a peace loving queen with a not so peaceful wit that can cut deep, or committed Christians who sincerely try to love the sinner for whom their contempt is hardly hidden.
Lyle’s characters have teeth and claws, every one of ’em, but they are not caricatures. They are scary, they can hurt, but they also care and they try to be good. They really do.
What distinguishes this work from many similar plays is an astonishingly fearless, wicked wit. He dares to take his characters down dark alleys of mind and soul that few writers are willing to explore, and he makes us laugh all the way into the dark.
These people are horrible, and at the same time their behavior is human as it is hideous, and we can understand them. This is a trick that is difficult to pull off, and when I encounter it, I find myself thinking of masters of absurdist comedy like Edward Albee or Joe Orton. I mean to say that Matt Lyle is playing in the big leagues, and he swings for the fence.
What pops out of the mouths of these lovable folks is astounding and will make you cringe as you gasp and laugh. But if you are like me, you will also identify with each of them, and find it in your heart to think that these animals are worthy of love. They’re trying. I hope they make it.
The set up is that Texas country retirees Donald and Rhonda, stereotypical MAGA types, have sold their house to move to the city and experience some excitement. In their search for a bargain, they have purchased a condo in a gated community in the heart of Dallas’ gayborhood on Cedar Springs Road. Big oops! But they try to be open minded, and when their new neighbor, the flamboyant Clark, invites them to dinner to meet his husband Marcus, they are game.
Things do not go well. Marcus is a snob. Clark invited Rhonda and Donald to make fun of them. Rhonda and Donald cannot hide their contempt for gay marriage. As the wine is uncorked, the poison flows with the booze. But, lord help us, it is funny. They pull out all the stops. Like Albee’s George and Martha, they wear their passions on their sleeves. Like Orton’s desperate characters anxious to entertain the murderous Mr. Sloane, they teeter on the edge. And if these drunken couples (and one must indeed think of George and Martha and Honey and Nick) aren’t enough, they have children—conveniently of more or less complimentary sexes—who might be even wilder.
The culmination of the play occurs with two astounding, heartfelt, virtuoso monologues delivered by Rhonda and Donald, which land with enough force to make the bones rattle. What they reveal is both screamingly funny, and horrifyingly true. This is theatre on the high wire.
A script like this deserves an exceptional director and exceptional actors and Masquers has got ’em. Director Gabriel Ross (one of the Bay area’s finest and most insightful actors) pushes his cast to explore every nook and cranny of this remarkable play. And the actors are up to the task.
You will not forget “Big, Scary Animals.”
Rating: ***** (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
“Big, Scary Animals” by Matt Lyle. Produced by Masquers Playhouse. Director: Gabriel Ross. Production Manager: Joyce Thrift. Stage Managers: Kit Lanier, Joshua Symonds. Set Construction: Lee Fagen, Jim Davis, Mike Cooper, Heinz Lankford, Sam Fagen, Paul Seliga, John Hull. Set Dressing & Props: Shay Oglesby-Smith. Costume Designer: Alison Lustbader. Lighting & Sound Design: Paul Seliga. Fight/Intimacy Coordinator: Bessie Zoino.
Cast:
Donald: Joseph Walters. Marcus: Duane Lawrence. Rhonda: Kim Saunders. Clark: David Zubiria. Sophia: Natalie Ford. Ronnie: Tristan Rodriguez.
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