R E S T A U R A N T P O L L B A L L O T P . 4 6 - The Austin Chronicle

CALENDAR ( COMMUNITY SPORTS ARTS FILM MUSIC) L I STI N G Shis mother, has children with her, bringsa plague upon his city. Discovers that hehimself is the source of the plague. Blindshimself. Is exiled.Which brings us to the point of departurefor this Steven Gridley play. Few names inWestern literature conjure up darker feelingsthan the name of the son, Oedipus, andwhile Oedipus, red-robed and blood-soaked,a stained white rag tied around his eyes,appears in this Blue Theatre and GetalongGang Performance Group co-production,Gridley’s version of the story really belongsto the mother, Jocasta. She is the firstperson we see, and she both mourns andglorifies her fate. In an extended sequencein which her physical position onstagecontrasts almost perfectly with imagesprojected behind her, she studies her pain,turns and shows it to us, and memorializesit by having a messenger come and takeadditional pictures. Throughout the courseof the play, she insists on events happeningin a certain way and always gets what shewants. It’s almost as if the play is her visionof her pain, seen through the dual lenses ofpast and present.It makes for an interesting family portrait,and director Spencer Driggers is especiallylucky to have designer Stephen Pruitt toprovide the perfect stark, multilevel setting,dominated by a rebar tree whose branchesextend seemingly everywhere. Driggers isequally lucky to have choreographer Zenobia72 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E APRIL 9, 2010 a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o mPost-OedipusBlue Theatre,916 Springdale,www.bluetheatre.orgThrough April 11Running time: 2 hr., 10 min.Ah, the house of Cadmus. It isn’t so much a family tree asa family branch. And it’s so tempting to go into every detail,but here’s the bare silhouette: A son kills his father, marriesTaylor, who provides exquisitely appropriatemovement throughout, especially when theMessenger, played by Helyn Rain Messenger(yes, that is her real name), stands behindJocasta and speaks and moves for her. ButDriggers is perhaps luckiest to have JenniferGravenstein playing Jocasta. “Over-the-top”unfortunately has negative connotations inperforming circles, but certain roles lendthemselves to it, even require it, and if evera role did, that role is Gridley’s version ofthis queen. From beginning to end, Jocastamust mourn. Not only must she mourn,grieve, and bewail her fate, she must do itall while being conscious of the fact that shedoes it. Sounds kind of crazy, doesn’t it? InGravenstein’s hands, it doesn’t look crazy. Itlooks open, kind. Joyful, even. Which makes itall the more sad and all the more horrifying.Not all of the actors get the style equallywell, but at least they all go after it. JamesBrownlee stands out as Oedipus, whobuilds a giant gumball machine and listensto self-improvement tapes. And if you cannow conjure the image of a man dressedin bloody rags listening to self-improvementtapes, the overwhelming irony in Gridley’splay will become apparent. Ironic also thatJocasta would actually want to mourn theend of the cursed house of Cadmus. Ironicthat she would be aware of the fact thatshe is doing so. Ironic that we have continuedto do exactly as she since this storyfirst was told.– Barry PineoSLEEPING BEAUTY The Vortex presents BonnieCullum and Content Love Knowles’ adaptation of theclassic tale, giving the poisoned-apple plot a feministspin within the visual spectacle of musical theatre.Costumes and sets like Alexander McQueen’s ghostchanneling the world of faery, lighting like the auroraborealis become sentient, and singing, dancing, livemusic: inimitably Vortex. Through May 2. Thu.-Sun.,8pm. The Vortex, 2307 Manor Rd., 478-5282. $10-30(two-for-one with donation of two nonperishable fooditems, Thursdays & Sundays). www.vortexrep.org.DINNER THEATREA CRUISE SHIP CRIME Gary Payne and his madcapCapital City Mystery Players present a humor-laced,interactive murder mystery where you, the audience,are extras on a cruise ship on which the fatal crimeis committed. Who done it? Solve the crime whilefeasting upon full-course Italian fare. Sat., April 10,7pm. Spaghetti Warehouse, 117 W. Fourth, 404-9123.$33.50. www.capcitymystery.com.comedyIN THE CLUBSCAFE CAFFEINE 909 W. Mary, 447-9473.www.cafecaffeine.com.Comedysportz Competitive improv? Yes, a vigorousbattle between skilled improvisers – sortof like Highlander but unscripted – and maestroLes McGehee and his talented friends bring it infull force each weekend to one of the sweetestlittle coffeehouses in the 78704. Fridays andSaturdays, 7:30pm. $7. Pretty Jack Jaybird, acomedy trio from Dallas, will be taping a video ofits music-infused show, after the art-history improvisersGardner’s & Jansen’s open. Recommended!Sat., April 10, 9:30pm. $7.CAP CITY COMEDY 8120 Research #100, 467-2333. www.capcitycomedy.com.Shane Mauss has, like almost every good comicfeatured at Cap City, been all over the smallscreen and has knocked ’em dead at this andthat festival across the country. But, specifically:Best Stand-Up Comic at HBO’s 2007 U.S. ComedyArts Festival. Man’s got some firepower. Man’sgonna make you laugh. And David James opens.April 8-10. Thu., 8pm; Fri.-Sat., 8 & 10:30pm.Cap City Open Mic Hey, it could be you up thereslaying your friends and neighbors as they’ve slainyou. Sundays, 8pm. Free with college ID.Moshe Kasher “Comedian. Child Genius. Jew.Jew Comedian. OBGYN. Pleasure center. Good tipper.Guiding light. Beefcake. He lives alone in LA.”Oh, we love him already. And Louis Katz opens.April 14-17. Wed.-Thu., 8pm; Fri.-Sat., 8 & 10:30pm.COLDTOWNE THEATER 4803-B Airport, 524-2807.www.coldtownetheater.com.The Week in Coldness: It’s a live videotapingnight, with the Draft, Level 6, and Total Panic.Thu., 8pm. The crackadaisical sketch-comedy stylingof Midnight Society goes all mutatis mutandiswith “Days of Future Past.” Thu., 10pm. ShantyTown Lake is a full-length revue of social andpolitical satire, music, and nihilistic comedy,helmed by the indefatigable Dave Buckman. Fri.,8pm. Punchline Stand-up comedy, ColdTownestyle: some of Austin’s best. Fri., 10pm. Boy Toypresents a free show, featuring Joel and Fred.Sat., 7pm. Stool Pigeon features some Austintatiouscelebrity type jump-starting the night with athrice-told tale. Sat., 8pm. Cage Match Two improvteams go all lucha libre on each other for yourgrins and giggles. Sat., 9pm. Stone Cold Improvbrings Total Panic into the midst of the donnybrook.Sat., 10pm. The Late Night Show sizzleswith Midnight Society and the Frank Mills. Sat.,11pm. ColdTowne All-Stars is a free show withthe, ah, all-stars of ColdTowne. Sun., 7pm. Murphy& the Jam is also free. Sun., 8:30pm. Also, theMonday Night Mash happens each week, withfree admission, and can you guess the night onwhich it occurs at 8:30pm?ESTHER’S POOL 525 E. Sixth, 320-0553.www.esthersfollies.com.Esther’s Follies Esther’s popular jesters presenta crowd-pleasing cornucopia of musical satire andlively vaudeville, Texas-style! The magic of RayAnderson, topical satires on the news of the day,and musical production numbers (including theEsther’s Follies’ Health Care Revue, the ToyotaRecall Blues, and Rick Perry’s Anti-WashingtonRag) unleash a spectacle of hilarity right there onSixth Street. Reservations highly recommended.Thu., 8pm; Fri.-Sat., 8 & 10pm. $20 (discountsavailable Thursdays & Fridays for seniors, students,military). Additional $5 for special reserved seats.THE HIDEOUT THEATRE 617 Congress, 443-3688.www.hideouttheatre.com.Thursday: Oh, how Threefer Madness brings youa trio of improv troupes! Oh, how they work withouta script! 8pm. $3.Friday: This Week Tonight brings you fast andfurious improv based on current headlines, slicingand dicing the latest scandals and more. 8pm. $10.The Spectacle features the Jane Austen-inflectednoir of Dick & Jane. Down these mean streets acountry squire must go who is not mean himself.10pm. $10.Saturday: Hitchcocked! Live improvisation in thestyle of Alfred Hitchcock? You bet your sweet miseen scéne it is, baby. Bring on the empty hearses!8pm. $10. Maestro is a fierce, elimination-stylebattle for supremacy among improvisers, scoredby you, the audience, sure to bring out the wackiest.10pm. $10.VELVEETA ROOM 521 E. Sixth, 469-9116.www.thevelveetaroom.com.Bryan Gutmann Oh shit. This man is funny. Justa dude, just a guy hanging out onstage, totallythe opposite of shecky, but sharp as a Wusthofcleaver (and he won the 2007 Funniest Person inAustin contest). You’ll like this guy; your date willlike this guy. And John Rabon and Chris Lehmanopen. Fri.-Sat., April 9-10, 9:30 & 11:30pm.Open Mic Night They’re coming out of the alcoholsoddenwoodwork to try and make you laugh, withyour host, Taegon McLaughlin. Thursdays, 10pm.BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE!THE FUNNIEST PERSON IN AUSTIN! Woooooo,here we go! It’s the annual competition at Cap CityComedy Club – entered by amateurs and professionalsalike; judged by agents and managers and talentscouts from out of Chicago, L.A., and the Big Apple;sparkling with big-money prizes. The preliminariesare first, of course, and who knows what the fuck’sgonna be onstage. Scintillating genius or talentlessdouche bag? Finding out – that’s half the fun. And,as the contest continues into the semifinals andthen the finals, whoa, the humor is intense, the talent’sas sharp and focused as a laser powered by anundetectable phalanx of Higgs bosons lately escapedfrom the Large Hadron Col – no, listen, it’s just reallysharp and focused, OK? Recommended. Prelims:Mon.-Tue., April 12-May 4, 8pm. $6. Semifinals: Sun.-Tue., May 9-11, 8pm. $8. Finals: Mon., May 17, 8pm.$12. Cap City Comedy, 8120 Research #100, 467-2333. www.capcitycomedy.com.STEVE JULIANO MOORE, MATT SADLER, ANDBLACK WIDOW BURLESQUE Moore and Sadler,Sadler and Moore. And the lovely ecdysiasts of BlackWidow Burlesque. Gold, we reckon: shimmying, titillating,comedy gold, yes? Thu., April 8, 7:30pm. AlamoDrafthouse Lake Creek, 13729 Research, 219-8135.$10. www.drafthouse.com/lakecreek.SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL Two Gnap!tasticimprov troupes, one after the other, for maximumcompare-and-contrast opportunities of comedystyling and schools of prov-fu. This weekend, it’sBlink and the thoroughly Kotfascinating KnuckleballNow. Recommended. Sat., April 10, 10pm. SalvageVanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd., 474-7886. $10.www.gnaptheater.org.THE NEW MOVEMENT Acclaimed comedy instructorsChris Trew and Tami Nelson execute their brand ofhijinks with talented friends and disciples. Yes, a regularongoing series of shows of all kinds, right therein the theatre next to Nubian Queen Lola’s, in inimitableChris ’n’ Tami style. You want comedy? Here:The Megaphone Show Wednesdays, 9:30pm. Free.Block Party Thursdays, 9:30pm. $2. The Main EventFridays, 9:30pm. $2. Chris & Tami Podcast withRamin Nazer Sat., April 10, 9:30pm. New MovementTheater, 1819 Rosewood. www.newmovementtheater.com.CONFIDENCE MEN PRESENT WOMEN WITHCONFIDENCE Asaf Ronen’s gang of improvisingMameticians, making with the grifty fast-talk andthe Glengarry Glen Rosstafarian schemes, comeface to face with the distaff side of Swindleville.Recommended. Through April 8. Thursdays, 8pm.Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd.,474-7886. $10. www.confidencemenimprov.com.