Sunday, January 11, 2015

QUICK TAKE REVIEW By Beverly Creasey CHALK and AWE



I’m a Walt McGough fan. He invents quirky characters and always gives them intelligent dialogue…but I just don’t get extra-terrestrial/zombie plays and CHALK (playing at BPT through Jan.26th) is about an alien invasion. Everyone but me loves INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (both incarnations), don’t they? Oh dear. They sent out the wrong reviewer.

Here’s the low down: McGough’s zombie aliens have to eat humans alive in order to get nourishment from their memories, not from “brains” as is widely (incorrectly) believed. This gives some aliens terrible indigestion which is evidently how you know they’re youngsters. (I wondered if they threw back people with Alzheimer’s or impaired memory but McGough didn’t go there.)

However, should you ever hear that the body snatchers have invaded, grab some chalk (or baby powder because they can’t tell the difference with their inferior noses) and mark your territory. That’s what Christine Power does and it works pretty well for her…that is, until the mother and child reunion. Fresh Ink director Sarah Gazdowicz gets impressive performances from Power as mother and Caroline Rose Markham as the wild child Power is determined to rescue.

Markham moves like an animal on the prowl. When she rolls her eyes up into her lids and snarls, she’s positively frightening. Neon is somehow involved in her transformation but I couldn’t figure it out. I’m afraid I’m hopelessly at sea where zombies and aliens are concerned but if that’s your cup of tea, enjoy the ride.