The 2003 New York International Fringe Festival and
Frozen No Salt Productions
Present
PALE IDIOT
By Kirk Lynn
The Greenwich Street Theatre
547 Greenwich Street, between Charlton and Vandam Sts., NYC
Tickets: (212) 279-4499 (NY) or (888) FringeNYC (Outside NY) or
www.FringeNYC.org
Sunday, August 17 @ 2:30 PM, Tuesday, August 19 @ 9:45 PM
Wednesday, August 20 @ 3:00 PM, Saturday, August 23 @ 11:00 PM
Sunday, August 24 @ 4:00 PM
Directed by Laramie Dennis
With Music by Tim Robert
Assistant Director/Stage Manager -- Allison Lehr
Scenic Designer -- J.W. Larkin
Costume Designer -- Maggie Dick
Lighting Consultant -- Jerry Browning
Press Representation -- Publicity
Outfitters
Guitar -- Tim Robert
CAST
(In Order of Appearance)
Idiot -- ROXY BECKER
Altar Boy -- SHAWN FAGAN
Mayor's Assistant -- TRAVIS YORK
Mother's Maid -- LISA LOUTTIT
Blacksmith's Apprentice -- MICHAEL BRAUN
Health Inspectator -- EHREN CHRISTIAN
A town has an idiot problem -- and a health inspector is on his way to
investigate and eradicate. As a result of their potential exposure and
possible infection, the townspeople are subjected to a zany, fast-paced test of
words and wit by the outrageous inspector. An examination of power
structures and the fear and loathing of anything "other", PALE IDIOT asks
who is the true idiot in any given society.
Set in a medieval-meets-mod world, PALE IDIOT blends the funny and
folklorish with the dark and nightmarish. Into a folktale enters a rock
sensibility, a clownishly comic reality is countered by dark nightmare-like
sequences complete with Clockwork Orange-inspired horror and violence. Set
and costume enhance this strange mixture, as does the
cast. Roxy Becker, as the Idiot, looks the part of the medieval peasant, Lisa
Louttit, as Mother's Maid, is right out of a fairytale with her evil
stepsister-like countenance, and the other players are similarly well-cast and
their roles well-performed. Despite, or perhaps because of, the smooth blend of
set, costume and cast, PALE IDIOT, at times, suffers
from a genre-identity crisis. PALE IDIOT attempts to walk a subtle
and sophisticated line between allegory and farce, so it is not surprising that
PALE IDIOT occasionally wobbles and missteps. PALE IDIOT is
witty and clever. It is deep, but at the moments it missteps, that depth,
and its impact, is lost. While it ends with a slight twist, PALE IDIOT
answers its own question just as we knew it would – the perceived idiot is never
the true idiot.
In spite of its genre-confusion and predictable message, PALE IDIOT is
smart and its effort commendable.
- Kate Kolendo -