Creating something new and different has been consuming a big chunk of the Neo-Futurists’ mission for decades. But something’s changed. Somebody pushed a button and all Hell broke loose. Now they’re as brilliant as they are funny. Riotously clever, frighteningly talented; a perpetual happening.
If their July 1st production of Face/Off is any indication of what to expect from the rest of the shows in this year’s series of staged readings, that place is going to be on fire for the next two Saturdays (July 8th and 15th).
The second of the four themed performances; Face/Off had a current of energy running through it even before the show started. People with extraordinarily serious faces shot past fast as bullets doing “things”. Entering the miniature gymnasium serving as both stage and viewing area, party music blared and everybody going in seemed to know each other. Hi’s and hugs and flat out joy went from simmer to boil. It was a spectacle. And then you see all of those very serious people you noticed earlier cluster, go into a love huddle and turn into actors.
Parodying the 1997 action movie Face/Off starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, the July 1st performance showed how good satire can get when placed in exceptionally creative hands. As a staged reading, the Neo-Futurists reimagined the entire script and completely reshaped it into razor sharp farce.
Pitting absolute good against consummate evil Hollywood style, special FBI agent Sean Archer attempts to foil terrorist and arch enemy Castor Troy’s plot to detonate a bomb in Los Angeles. Castor’s failed earlier effort to assassinate Archer resulted in the killing of the agent’s son; adding of course to the ferocity of their rivalry. Ultimately, it is even necessary for Archer to assume the identity of his mortal enemy by having his rival’s face transferred onto his own. Absurd as that sounds, the remarkable talent flowing through the Neo-Futurist cast that night made the conceit sound oddly possible. One of Robyn Coffin’s numerous roles was that of Dr. Walsh, the surgeon tasked with accomplishing the face swap. She was all business in the funniest way imaginable; making her character(s) a constant crowd favorite.
Gender meant nada in this version of Face/Off. An irrepressible Dina Walters played agent Archer and the equally dynamic Kristie Koehler Vuocolo took on the role of terrorist Castor Troy. Each was physical, profane, and phenomenal as they slashed through a plot dense with twists and break neck turns.
It doesn’t matter if you never saw the original movie. That thing could not be nearly as entertaining as this once and done performance. Walters, who also directed this master work, kept everything rolling at a Formula 1 pace. Her able cast not only easily kept up; each of them radiated enough star quality to keep you hanging on their every word. Line deliveries were so good you were left howling with laughter at 30 second intervals. In that sense, it was almost exhaustively funny. Seeing and hearing Phil Ridarelli as Archer’s sex kitten daughter Jamie was worth the price of admission alone.
He and the six other actors took on nearly 40 roles in total; slipping in and out of characters in microseconds. That meant the audience had better be on its toes too. Given the boisterousness of the room throughout the show, no problem.
Always keep in mind that Neo-Futurists productions are often interactive. Staying true to the genre of the original movie’s action flick status; Face/Off often got messy and wet. Nobody left complaining about that either.
This year readings continue to be drawn from the “best worst films of all time.” One can only imagine what they going to do with Suspiria on July 8th and Someone I Touched on the 15th. The smart money says they’re likely to be sensational too. It’s rare that you can say you went to the best show in town for $15 bucks. But thanks to the folks up on Ashland, you know it can be done.
The Neo-Futurarium
5153 N. Ashland Ave.
773-878-4557
