What I liked
As I got to my seat, I was immediately presented with the full cast seated on the stage. Soon, the play started, everyone got to their places and the excitement began. The actors, particularly Taylor LeClere and Nathaniel Culpepper who played Dave and Frank, respectively, were exceptionally good in their roles as bloodthirsty (yet somewhat dimwitted) cannibals. Their performances were at times unnerving (as one would expect from the subject matter) and consistently funny. The rest of the cast was entertaining as well. I enjoyed the furry sass from Sarkis Bakalyan’s and Erin Cholakian’s performances as well as the emotional displays by the protagonist, Peter, played by Jessie Robertson. Harrison Seeley’s character, the scaly turned furry was quite enjoyable as well, both in terms of adding to comedic effect through his interaction with Bakalyan earlier in the play and his dramatic performance with Robertson later into the evening. The presentation was solid, active, and thoroughly enjoyable. The stage direction too, left me feeling satisfied. Definitely worth the ticket.
What I didn't like
I felt that the play was a little too short. I think this was due to the festival restraints. The characters needed to be given more time to become dynamic.
My overall impression
I saw Fresh Meat at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theater. It was an intimate venue, much smaller than I expected, but the place was comfortable nonetheless.The humorous script and engaging performances by the cast sold the show for me. The presentation was fun, entertaining, and at times believably disturbing (as it should be). The only drawback to the play was that it was too short. I would highly recommend this play.
