Hip Shot: ‘2 Shorts in Black and White: Count Dracula’s Cafe’
2 Shorts in Black and White: Count Dracula’s Cafe
Goethe-Institut — Gallery
Remaining Performances
Sunday, July 12 at 2:30 pm. Thursday, July 16 at 9:00 pm. Thursday, July 23 at 6:00 pm. Sunday, July 26 at 6:00 pm.
They Say: 2 short plays: Count Dracula lost his creativity because the FDA doesn’t accept gays blood… now Drac needs a good man to suck! Then, a man dies and returns to life with power to foretell the future.
Ann’s Take: Clever occasionally, disjointed primarily, Scot Walker’s two shorts deliver as advertised without adding much more.
The first piece, Count Dracula’s Cafe, tells the tale of two vampires who take over a Starbucks in an effort to attract the gay blood they desperately need. The how’s and why’s of their struggles are never fully fleshed out because the 10-minute sketch is really just an opportunity to crack a steady stream of not-so-witty gay one-liners. Like, Liza Minnelli one-liners. I challenge you to come up with a gay cliché that wasn’t covered in this sketch. After every “suck” joke was exhausted, the stand up routine abruptly ends with a well-meaning but unsophisticated discussion of the Supreme Court. Fringe bonus points for delivering political message through a barechested man in hotpants.
The evening’s second piece , Molasses Toast and French Fried Eels, attempts a more serious look at life and choices. Kenneth, the quintessential common man, dies, comes back to life, and proceeds to predict the deaths of his three companions. Really, really long predictions that struggle to add value to the story. For those of us who mustered the strength to pay attention until the end without nodding off to stare at the ceiling tiles, we are rewarded with a conclusion that can only be described as – Huh? I’ll leave it at that.
The scripts could have benefited from some serious red ink, but a patient Fringe-goer may catch the rare, well-timed quip lurking within the clumsy dialogue. I do recall smiling once or twice. Plus, the cast is endearing. You can’t help but root for actors trying to enunciate “homosexual” in ill-fitting fangs.
See it if: You want to know how toast and death are similar.
Skip it if: You actually want to know how toast and death are similar.
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1:52 pm
Despite the shortcomings of _Count Dracula’s Cafe_, I’ve been recommending _2 Shorts in B&W_ because of _Molasses Toast and French Fried Eels_. I found that second piece to be both well-written and extremely well-acted, and in fact I wished it were longer (not only so that it could have the time slot to itself, although that would be a relief)!
Yes, the “toast and eels” metaphor is odd, and is certainly repeated a few too many times within the script, but the plot and characters are intriguing. The actors really do well at showing the shifting dynamics as the characters find out about each others’ secrets. I found myself craning my neck to see the faces of the non-speaking characters on the too-low stage, but it was worth it for the subtleties.
I agree the script could use tightening in places, but I hope it would be as part of a revision that lengthens and strengthens _Molasses Toast and French Fried Eels_ into a stand-alone show, which I would definitely see again!
11:27 pm
ANN WILLEMSSEN IS A VERY ASTUTE REVIEWER. WITTY, CAUSTIC AND CLEVER. FUN TO READ. B
1:14 pm
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