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Do you ever feel like you’re the only one in the room not in on the joke?
The opening night of “The Menu” was like stumbling into a party you weren’t invited to.
Normally, Theatre X is filled with young and exuberant local theater people, those making a conscious effort to support budding artistic pursuits.
But this opening night, UNM’s Experimental Theatre was packed with muckety-mucks in such an array of fancy dress that it seemed more like the Adobe Theater or Albuquerque Little Theatre — two playhouses with a rabid if not older and more conservative fan base.
After a thunderous ovation for the show, which involved everyone in the room standing except a thin, older gentleman in the very front and this dreadfully confused reviewer, it became assuredly clear that my jig was up.
I try to go into plays as ignorant as possible of what I’m going to see, so I can have a fresh perspective and no expectations — sort of like avoiding movie trailers. In this case, it sort of backfired.
This, of course, didn’t preclude post-viewing research and investigation — almost like this is in a newspaper or something.
As it turns out, the gentleman in the very front was the playwright, Jim Linnell, a longtime and now retiring theater professor at UNM and founder of the Words Afire! Festival. The genteel geriatric gala was intended for him.
So how fared this farewell?
“The Menu” is essentially recited poetry, supplemented with a bit of dance for good measure. The poetry comes from Linnell and is performed by Tricklock Company, which has about a dozen or so performers moving about, playing with the set and taking turns at the slam mic. The various monologues are connected by common themes about life and love and perseverance and memory, but it’s best not to focus too much on these. It’s abstract for a play, and poetry can do what it damn well pleases.
The set looks like a modest, folksy café. Small, old, round tables topped with eating utensils — these become quite important later — and chairs litter the stage.
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The performers have an antiquated look to them as well, very much like American frontier settlers of yore: The women wear clean, long, white dresses, and the men, in matching vests but without shoes, exhibit an earth-toned Tom Sawyer fraternity.
Bookending the performance are scratchy vinyl recordings of a man, who I can only assume is Linnell, explaining why life is a big metaphor for table settings. This explains the Americana-type diner setting as well as why the program credits are on a single, wide piece of paper.
Casey Mráz, Tricklock’s music director, took up residence in the back corner and drifted banjo tones over it all.
Many of the performances are a bit on the yell-y side. “I’M EXPRESSING MY EMOTIONS!” they often seemed to bellow, as you try to discern why they’re so upset. The performers also seem to have a deep fascination with spoons: touching them, caressing them or flailing them around in unison. Maybe they all just really like the battle cry of the Tick.
While the presentation is largely the job of an amorphous chorus, there are many small details to notice and enjoy. Hannah Kauffmann and Alex Knight take center stage as the format allows, acting as a nucleus for the similar poems and images orated by the others.
One of their subtle, periodic-movement sets expresses a cyclical loving and breaking of two people together. Hayley Mervini and Alexandra Piña-Ceja share moments of avidity. Why Diana Delgado keeps pouring water, I have no idea. However, like the spoons, it doesn’t really need a reason.
“The Menu” is short, clocking in at around an hour. With this and the lack of continuity, it’s effectively there and gone before you know it. It would be beneficial, perhaps, to see the work without a crowd, specifically for the presence of the playwright, to see it for its own merits and judge whether the context for the piece is the end-all.
No one really wants to be spoon-fed.
“The Menu”
featuring Tricklock Company
Written by Jim Linnell
Directed by Elsa Menéndez
UNM’s Experimental Theatre
$10 students and staff, $12
seniors and faculty, $15 general
Thursdays, Fridays Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.
Runs through May 5
For more information, call (505) 277-4332 or go to
theatre.unm.edu
