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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > September > 15 > Entry
Review: ‘MilkMilkLemonade’
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Well, you would too, if you had a poisonous spider, a sadistic bully, and a cancerous chicken farmer chasing after you.
Though “MilkMilkLemonade” by Joshua Conkel, playing now through Sept. 26 at the Vortex, isn’t written by an Austinite, the show gleefully contributes to the tradition of keeping Austin (theater) weird. Under the direction of Jason Hays, Shrewd Productions’ enchanting show demonstrates of the kind of magic that happens when a cast commits itself completely to a script that walks the tightrope of ridiculousness.
Despite any initial reservations about the story of a boy and his chicken, “MilkMilkLemonade” is a touching and charismatic romp through childhood dreams and disillusions, albeit with ominous and adult overtones.
Emory (Xaq Webb) is a fifth-grader who isn’t like other boys and not just because his best friend in the world is Linda, a chicken a la drag queen (Joe Hartman). Raised by his chain-smoking, chicken-farming grandmother (Chris Humphrey), Emory has a penchant for Barbie dolls and dance numbers.
The play centers on the story of little boys with big dreams, exploring the difficulties of adolescence and gender roles in small-town America. While Emory seems content to be himself regardless of what other people say, his bullying friend Elliot (Jericho Thorpe) lives in constant internal struggle — in part due to the parasitic evil twin living in his thigh (Shannon Grounds). I told you the play was weird, just bear with me.
Shannon Grounds, as the Lady in the Leotard (and evil twin, chicken translator, and spider), sets the stage with a spirit-fingered invitation to use our imaginations. The Lady in the Leotard narrates the show, and Grounds infuses her roles with an enthusiasm and sincerity that pull us in and keep us along for the ride.
Nicholas Renaud’s set takes us back to childhood without being childish, and its cartoonish qualities keep us happily grounded in our willing suspension of disbelief.
The make-up in the show is outstanding, and makeup designer Amelia Turner deserves her own round of applause. Turner transforms Chris Humphrey into a horrifyingly haggard old pragmatist and she turns Joe Hartman into the most glamorous piece of poultry you’ll ever set eyes on.
“MilkMilkLemonade” shows us how much courage it takes to be yourself, especially if that self is a six-foot chicken in drag. Hartman and the rest of the cast deliver performances that make us reconsider our assumptions and leave us wanting more.
“MilkMilkLemonade” continues 8 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays through Sept. 26 at the Vortex Theatre. $15-$25. www.vortexrep.org
Cate Blouke is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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