In Pursuit
By Breahan Eve Pautsch
Directed by Richard Paro
Produced by Hobo Junction
At the Second Stage Theater, Chicago
“Aliens have landed! Now What?”
Silly, childish comedy more stupid than funny.
My first venture to a Hobo Junction production wasn’t much fun. Their 65 minute wacky Sci-Fi comedy was a total disaster. This original work (by Breahan Eve Pautsch) tries to be part Sci-Fi, part murder mystery, and part social satire but it only succeeds in being a loud-mouthed cornball mess.
We see three aliens that resemble bird-women as they squeal in squeaky voices as they prepare their home for the government bureaucrat’s visit so that they can get their green cards. Right from the start, we quickly become irritated by the manic antics of the three aliens–their voices were so high and shrill that we instantly grow to dislike them.
Things get worse when the human bureaucrats visit the aliens. These government officials are a group of misfits that includes a neurotic psychologist, a snack-eating Special Agent, an uptight Secretary and a obnoxious General. These stereotypical characters were played so over-the-top (especially by Mary Jo Bolduc and Christopher Rex Jacobs) that any hint at humor was crushed by all the screaming, goofy gestures and manic movement.
There was little comedic timing in evidence and the script was to convoluted that the cast seemed to be pushing hard to garner any possible humor. At the performance I attended, there was little laughter. Hobo Junction’s brand of humor rings flat here. The silliness and poor comedic execution played like someone scratching a blackboard with their finger nails. The style of humor (if any) escapes me. The sophomoric production need work. The 65 minutes seemed like 65 hours of torture.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2011
For more info, checkout the In Pursuit page on www.theatreinchicago.com
At the Second Stage Theater, 3408 N. Sheffield, Chicago, IL, tickets $15, Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm, running time is 65 minutes without intermission, through September 11, 2001