My first review...
POONA The Fuckdog
Reviewed by Robert Axelrod - REVIEWPLAYS.COM
POONA THE FUCKDOG and other plays for children (sic) is a highly enjoyable romp through several story lines woven together to create a couple of hours of pure fun. Poona, a cute little pooch played by cute little Jordan Savage, is fond of playing a game that has a lot to do with her name, in her big pink box, mostly with her handsome prince (Michael Lanahan). Guided by her singing, guitar-playing fairy God-Phallus (Matthew Garland), Poona encounters a wild array of characters as she commences to live a full and varied life, all with their own story lines out of the crazy head of writer Jeff Goode, best known for his MTV series UNDRESSED.
Theres Jasper and Cunt (Brendan Hunt and Andy Corren respectively), two hilarious pun inducing aliens whove landed on earth and are in search of a leader. Shrub (Bruno Oliver) is a Shakespeare quoting plant whos in search of better stage positioning. He manages not to get peed on. Philip Newby doubles as a talking rabbit and an angel named Gabby who serves a sarcastic God (Ruth Silveira).
Four-year-old Suzy-Suzy (Laura Sperrazza) learns how to destroy people from her talking toy computer (Kimberly Atkinson) in the pieces sharpest vignette and more.
This all takes place in and around the Kingdom of Doo (get it?). There is a quick battle, nuclear war, action in heaven, and a talking television set (Atkinson again) who ends up being the King of Doo. The cast numbers fourteen in all, handling over twenty seven parts. Most of the actors play two and three characters, with most effective costume changes compliments of designers Rebecca Crown and Brandon Clark.
Director Adam Bitterman must be complimented for his staging, which always had me sitting up in my seat like a good dog-errrr audience member in anticipation.
The entire production meshes nicely as the vignettes send up myths about sex, politics, sports, government, consumerism, theology, computers, and television. The set, by Carlos Fedos, is simple and responsive to Bittermans needs. The audience guffawed a countless number of times at the shenanigans.
I recommend spending an evening with Poona if you want to walk out of the theatre with a smile on your face and a cookie in your hand. (theyre given out at the end of the show). THREE 1/2 AXELS.
------------------------------------------------------------
---
GO POONA THE FUCKDOG AND OTHER PLAYS FOR CHILDREN - LA WEEKLY
This latest offering from Sacred Fools is a bawdy, comedic romp through the land of allegory and myth. Jeff Goodes play features a series of vignettes that are loosely tied together by Poona (Jordan Savage), a lonely canine who, in her search for somebody to play with, ends up serving as a sports hero, a spokesperson and, as her name suggests, an object of lust. Amid the sexcapades between Poona and The Handsome Prince (Michael Lanahan) are the storylines of the numerous other characters that populate this fantasy universe, including a talking shrub (Bruno Oliver), The Man Who Could Sell Anything (Eric Curtis Johnson) and a pair of aliens (Brendan Hunt and Andy Corren). While the play attempts to satirize a number of our political and social institutions, the numerous storylines and sidebars often get in the way. One of the highlights of the show is a chilling interaction between a child prodigy (Laura Sperrazza) and her Hal 9000-esque computer (Kimberly Atkinson) that seduces her into virtual-reality violence. Carlos Fedos set design evokes elementary school pageants of our youth while Adam Bittermans direction is efficient but not inspired. Sperrazza, Oliver, Philip Newby and Ruth Silveira deliver notable performances.
