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The plays in the “Tuna” series are shows for actors. This is barely plural, as there are only two actors in the entire show, though they each play nearly a dozen distinct characters.
But because the performance is so uproariously funny, it is certainly a show for audiences, too.
“Tuna Does Vegas” is the fourth in a series of plays centered on the residents of Tuna, “the third-smallest town in Texas.” This time they’re taking their escapades on the road to Las Vegas.
The format is arresting and provocative; two male actors play every resident and more, each in series of dialogues plastered together by speedy and carefully designed backstage costume changes. The vast majority of these characters are women, so the cross-dressing creations are a major factor in the onstage hilarity.
And hilarious it is. The script is quick, quirky and clever, and Patrick Ross and Adam Kidd are experienced and deft at comedy and impersonation. Ross and Kidd put in some hard work in this play.
There is a huge variety among the characters the actors portray.
Ross and Kidd find the unique timing and delivery specific to each character. Ross’ women are bigger and grander, giving them a vaudevillian feel, the best of which is his field-marshalling Vegas hotel manager.
Kidd’s performances are more human and grounded in reality. His female characters are not bluster or caricature; they are simply and undeniably women. His adorable Texas wife, Bertha, as well as his coffeehouse waitress, Inita, bring smiles to the audience — not just because of Kidd’s handling of the humor, but also because of the sincerity of his characters.
There was also a racist Asian impression that brought to mind Mickey Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” which was more shocking and unexpected than all the bawdy sex jokes and political jabs in the world. It was an old school kind of racism with a one-off joke that was onstage just long enough to make you question the value of the “Hu’s on First” gag before disappearing back into the ensemble.
The skill of Ross and Kidd’s craft is so awesome it almost distracts from the simple enjoyment of the jokes at hand. There is a great simplicity, however, in much of the technical decisions of the production. The props number zero, because everything is mimed. The set has no hint to location, it’s merely a backdrop with faint white and baby-blue paints. Ross and Kidd designed and created the costumes themselves, putting a lot of attention into them.
But there is a bit of a pacing issue in the show overall. It begins slowly, and the opening weekend, Ross and Kidd did not seem completely comfortable with the words, though these are issues that will quickly iron themselves out.
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Some of the most endearing scenes involve a married couple whose romantic getaway to Vegas creates the frame for the ensuing high jinks. The characters unfortunately bookend the action and guts of the play, as opposed to driving the production. They are oddly and significantly absent, and sorely missed.
“Tuna Does Vegas” is one of the funniest and most enjoyable plays to be shown in Albuquerque in ages. You’ll laugh, you may not cry, but you just might get a warm, fuzzy feeling in your belly. And you just might want to stand up and clap at the end.
“Tuna Does Vegas”
by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed Howard
Directed by Dean Eldon Squibb
The Vortex Theatre
2004½ Central Ave. S.E.
Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, 2 p.m.
Runs through Dec. 16
Audience talkback on Sunday, Dec. 2
$10 student rush
$18 general admission
