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Indoor/Outdoor
is Five Star Fun
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Kerri
Kanelos
February
26th 2006 |
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One
of the greatest attributes of Trinity Repertory
Company is that the creative team isn't afraid
to mix things up a bit. As their brilliant
rendition of Hamlet comes to a close,
Trinity Rep presents something completed different
from traditional Shakespeare-Indoor/Outdoor,
a hilarious and touching comedy written by
relative newcomer Kenny Finkle. It is important
to note that while Indoor/Outdoor is
focused on the life of a very sassy cat, there
are, thankfully, no hokey attempts at fake
whiskers, tails or litter boxes. Thank you,
thank you, thank you.
Indoor/Outdoor
is the clever story of Samantha (Angela Brazil),
a housecat struggling between the comforts
of home and love versus the excitement of
adventure and lust. While waiting in the pound
to be adopted by her true love, Samantha finds
Shuman (Mauro Hantman)-a stammering and stumbling,
but loveable, computer geek. The two immediately
hit it off and find comfort in each other.
However, it
doesn't take long for Samantha to question
her relationship with Shuman. Like many human
vs. human relationships, Samantha notices
that her owner doesn't quite understand her
and at times doesn't seem even remotely interested
in trying to figure her out. Plus he has awful
morning breath and often leaves the house
for hours at a time, without explanation.
To complicate
things further, Samantha catches the eye of
an outdoor cat named Oscar (Jacques Roy) who
is immediately smitten and interested giving
her a taste of the wild side. Samantha must
choose between the reassurances of her life
with Shuman versus the thrill of exploring
the world as Oscar's companion. To make the
story even more entertaining, a cat psychic
named Matilda (Phyllis Kay) attempts to butt
her nose into the whole situation and fix
this seemingly chaotic scene.
The entire performance
is pure entertainment because it often switches
between heartwarming (Samantha and Shuman
curling up together in bed) to laughable (the
numerous antics that Samantha tries in an
attempt to get kicked out of the house-which
include pooping on Shuman's laptop). There
are also several dance numbers, a ninja fight
scene with a mouse, and dozens of references
to pop culture. As Samantha explains, "…just
because I'm a cat doesn't mean I can't make
cultural references." After all,
cats spend a majority of their lives watching
cable.
As usual, Trinity's
exceptionally talented players bring professionalism
and amusement to Indoor/Outdoor that
creates a virtually flawless show. Angela
Brazil brings balance and a certain charm
to the role of Samantha, whose naiveté
slowly morphs into a worldly maturity as the
story comes full circle. Phyllis Kay mastered
her role as the loony pet therapist-she had
the audience in stitches each time she exploded
into her psychotic tirades. Mauro Hantman
and Brown University/Trinity Rep Consortium
student Jacques Roy were believable in their
roles as Samantha's night and day love interests.
Although his roles were not as prominent as
the other three cast members, Roy also deserves
recognition for his ability to change character
and costume in a flash-one second he is a
southern belle with a parasol, the next a
pretty decent stand in for Michael Jackson.
Director Kevin
Moriarty also deserves praise for this piece.
Indoor/Outdoor is full of comical routines
that require the cast's full attention to
detail and because of great direction, each
joke flowed seamlessly. All four cast members
were brilliant during a lengthy, but snappy,
scene in which Matilda instructs the two cats
and Shuman to communicate with each other
using the phrase "I feel…"
The set, designed
by Beowulf Boritt, adds to the fun atmosphere
of Indoor/Outdoor. Almost the whole
stage, including Shuman's house and the moon,
is carpeted in smooth yellow fabric that makes
everything look like a cat's scratching post.
The deep blue background compliments the set
with cutouts of Evergreen trees, clouds, and
waves.
Indoor/Outdoor
is such a well acted, truly entertaining and
touching performance that all audiences will
enjoy-even more so if you are lucky enough
to be a cat owner. I am excited to give this
show a five star rating.
Indoor/Outdoor
runs now through March 26th. Contact the box
office (401-351-4242) for tickets or visit
www.trinityrep.com. |
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