By MARK LOWRYSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
WaterTower Theatre’s fifth annual Out of the Loop Festival runs through March 12, and features
more than 20 theater, dance, cabaret and music performances. Below are some of Mark Lowry’s
comments about the shows he has seen:
Theater Fusion,
Evolution
This comedy by Jonathan Mark Sherman has an intriguing premise: Henry (Daniel Jamieson) is a
scholarly man infatuated with Charles Darwin’s life, but has no clue about anything from pop
culture of the past 30 years, or probably longer.
When his girlfriend Hope (Elizabeth Van Winkle) brings him home to meet her family, her slacker
brother Ernie (Todd Haberkorn) sees a unique opportunity in a contemporary man who doesn’t
know who Aaron Spelling is or has ever seen Star Wars or a Brat Pack movie. Together, Henry
and Ernie pitch a sitcom to TV execs about Adam and Eve, which becomes a hit. A spin-off
follows, and before you know it, Ernie is living the Hollywood life, coveting an Emmy and
hooking up with starlets.
Andi Allen directs a talented cast, including Nye Cooper as the narrator, who lecture-speeches
reference Shakespeare, Brecht and People Magazine. Video footage splashes images of Bruce
Lee, Oprah, Sesame Street and Madonna.
A comment about how society has devolved from the one that was well-read and educated into a
bunch of lemmings mostly concerned with material possession and celebrity-obsession? Little
bit. Sherman is smart in using absurdist comedy as the vehicle for such a satire. It drags in some
scenes between Hope and Henry, but the comedic bits are clever and frequently hilarious.
Contains strong language and sexual content.
Grade: B+
