DEAD MAN – ECHO Theater Company
Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
I found this play interesting, thrilling and definitely something new. Brilliant production in many ways!
It is a dark and stormy night in the city that never sleeps. The Biscuit and Jones Detective Agency is investigating an extraordinary illusion that includes many flashbacks into the past. There is a dead man. The question is, ‘Who killed the dead man?’ How is that related to the ADI karma, the seed karma that establishes the soul’s journey in the lower worlds? Clown noses represent the illusion we all go through. We are all clowns in our own worlds. Slipping into the déjà vu explains a lot of what happened prior to this moment. It reminds us to live in the moment where every minute is a new beginning. Last moment is gone, never to be repeated. All the mistakes, joy, pain, or murder can be only remembered and relieved that way. This production was an exhilarating experience for me!
Produced by The Echo Theater Company and Theatre Ghosts, with Michael Perlmutter as the producer and Carolina Rodriguez as producer / photographer, DEAD MAN is intriguingly written by Ann Noble, who also does an extraordinary job as an actor and director. Together with wonderfully talented actors Christian Haines, Jeffrey Johnson, and Robin McDonald, the illusion is presented with humor, enchanting choreography, and soothing music. Trench coats and a colorful wardrobe fulfill this noir comedy clown mystery. Communication with the audience is different here; individuals are brought to the stage without actually being invited on the stage.
Dead Man was first presented at Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it received multiple positive reviews. When Ann Noble was asked what first sparked the idea of combining classic film noir with clowning, she replied, “Because that’s where we actually live. I think we wish it was all black and white, we wish it was easy to choose the right thing. But it never is. Again, I find it to be the truth of what it means to be human: to be in a place of having to make tough decisions. And, as deeply unsettling as that can be, it’s also wonderfully poignant. I think it’s important to laugh at ourselves and our situation when we can. Dark times require great light.”
Presented by The Echo Theater Company and Theatre Ghosts on Tuesdays, July 21, July 28, and August 4 at 8pm at Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039. Free parking is available in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot, located one block south of the theater.
General admission tickets are $20, with a $1.75 fee added if purchasing with a credit card, available by calling or online at www.EchoTheaterCompany.com