Shock was invited to check out a preview of the show – the latest effort from film director Stuart Gordon (who brought us previous stage productions Nevermore, Re-Animator: The Musical) and writer Benjamin Brand – here in Los Angeles last week. It begins its official run at the Sacred Fools Theater Company April 11th and closes on May 17th.
If you’re at all curious about seeing this, and you live in Los Angeles, I say, “check it out.” The setting is surprisingly intimate in this venue, so you feel you’re literally a spectator sitting on a couch within the apartment of Terry (Donal Thoms-Cappello), a man who strikes up an online relationship with Vic (Chris McKenna). You’re a voyeur spying on their first encounter and the macabre pact they make.
Naturally, because I saw a preview, there was some fine-tuning to be had (I was told a good chunk of material had been snipped to quicken the pace), still, what I saw was a confident, strong character piece that rippled with nervous, awkward energy. McKenna turns in a terrific performance as the “nothing left to lose but my flesh” Vic, a shy, timid man who just wants to be part of something. He juggles caution, satisfaction and suffering with ease. And Thoms-Cappello channels his inner-Patrick Bateman quite well. His turn as Terry is a bit more all over the map, but I’m sure he’s found his voice by this point.
Gordon, naturally, works in some wry humor (Terry’s DVD collection has films like There Will Be Blood, Cannibal: The Musical and even Gordon’s King of the Ants facing out on the shelf) and some unflinching violence and bloodshed.
Taste is a unique and cool alternative to anything else you might have planned on an evening in Los Angeles. Also, it plays on many senses (you can actually smell the cooking being done on stage). Definitely recommended!
