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Read for yourself what the Austin American-Statesman had to say:   "Mr.
Marmalade" is a one-joke play, but Capital T Theatre turns that gag
into one of the funniest I've seen in a long time.
Four-year-old Lucy is left mostly to her own devices without any sort of
adult supervision or affection, so she invents Mr. Marmalade, only to be
ignored by him. While most imaginary friends ride rainbows or fly
spaceships, Marmalade trades stocks and scrapes by on a Tony Montana-style
cocaine habit. Lucy's only real friend is Larry, New Jersey's youngest
suicide attempt. Sounds bleak.
Noah Haidle wrote "Marmalade" with all the
precociousness of his characters. He sets it up as a satire, but it feels
toothless. Fortunately, Mark Pickell's direction
nods to a few disturbing elements of the text, but mostly revels in the
distorted fantasy, including a food fight set piece between Larry's
imaginary friends, an energetic Matt Hislope and
Ash Bell dressed as a cactus and sunflower.
Tiny Robinson, as Lucy, is
precociously endearing, with a superb sense of timing to match the role's
acerbic wit. Chase Wooldridge makes a fitting companion out of Larry,
moping about the loneliness of life, but with a less interesting one-notedness. David L. Bowers' Marmalade, though, is a
mercurial blast. There's nothing appealing about the character, but he's
always fun to watch...
..."Marmalade" might bother you if you hunt for
too much meaning, but if you just want a sugary, though sometimes sour,
comedy, you're in luck.
- Joey Seiler
The Austin American-Stateman
Mr.
Marmalade
By Noah Haidle
Directed by Mark Pickell
Starring: Ash Bell, David Bowers, Annie Dragoo,
Matt Hislope, Noah Neal, Tiny Robinson, &
Chase Wooldridge
Hyde Park Theatre
511 West 43rd
(Just off the corner of 43rd and Guadalupe)
Tickets $15-$25
Hope to
see you there,
Mark Pickell
Capital T Theatre
email: mark@capitalt.org
web: http://www.capitalt.org
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