What I liked
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What I didn't like
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My overall impression
It is clear why this show won season 10 of Sacred Fool’s “Serial Killers.” It is well written, witty and the dark humor is killer … see what I did there. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. At any rate, the performances are top notch. Lauren Van Kurin as the lead Margo and Eric Giancoli as Lancaster the evil Establishment boss, play off of each beautifully. He is the ultimate dead-pan straight man and Van Kurin’s naivete – even after murdering people – is adorable. The supporting cast, who all play multiple roles are as solid as you can get, each playing a big part in the stage combat.
This brings me to the thing that impressed me the most about this production, the stage combat. Was it all executed flawlessly, of course not. But it was clean, it helped tell the story and it deservedly illicited oohs, ahs and cringes from the audience on multiple occasions. Huge kudos to fight choreographer Mike Mahaffey – who was also acted in the piece and damn near stole the show as his third character – and the cast for their hard work on the staged violence. I studied stage combat for eight years, so I know first hand how much time and effort went into those fights to make them as polished as they were. Thank you for your dedication to make the violence safe, yet still effective for the audience. Bravo!
My only hesitation in hollering from the rooftops that everyone and their brother needs to see this show, is the scene changes. They are loooong, and they kill whatever momentum was developed in the previous scene. It is obvious that this show was developed as stand alone vignettes that have now been put together to tell the whole story in one go. The good news, is that means the actors are accustomed to building the energy from zero in every scene. The bad news is that an audience expecting to see a one act with sustained momentum has to acclimatize themselves to the ups and downs that the scene changes dictate. That being said, this show is still a solid #SeeItLA. And I would hurry, the show I saw was sold out.
