BWW Reviews: Loaded Gun Theory's Original BROTHERS MERLIN is Campy, Frivolous Fun

No matter what the show, most theatrical experiences are rather similar. You park your car, show your tickets to an usher, find your seat, sit quietly for a few hours, applaud the cast, and then go home. Still, once in a while a theater company has the brains and imagination to create a truly unique and unexpected experience. It's clear that Loaded Gun Theory is one such company which likes to push the envelope and break the traditional, predicable mold. The constant breaking of theatrical conventions is one of many ideas that makes their current production, The Brothers Merlin, such an unmitigated success.

The audience's experience really begins a full half hour before the show. In the courtyard outside the theater, LGT's company has set up a midway of carnival games. As an oom-pah-pah band plays, the audience is encouraged to play games, enjoy carnival style food and drink, and watch an exciting but bawdy magician (the wonderful Jack Darling). The festivities are abruptly interrupted when a crash and a roar are heard from inside the theater, followed by two breathless teens running from the building. The audience is then hurriedly escorted into the theater, told to "silence your goddamn electronic devices" and encouraged to "try not to be assholes."

After the truly unconventional pre-show, the even more unconventional show begins. We're immediately introduced to The Brother's Merlin and Their Magnificent Menagerie of Mysteries. The star attraction of their carnival is the Alligator Man, who we quickly found out has escaped and has a hunger for human flesh. Through multiple flashbacks, we learn the secrets and back stories of virtually everyone in the menagerie, including that over a century ago, Merlin (or Merle for short) and his brother Thomas unearthed the Sobek, an ancient Egyptian god with the head of an Alligator and the key to immortality. Controlling Sobek has kept Merle and Thomas alive for over 100 years, but of course their success comes at a price. Thrown in for shits and giggles are subplots about secret identities and Nazi attack dogs.

The original text-a collaboration between Amy Lewis, Anna Larson, Bill Arnold, E.D. Harrelson, Ian King, Ian LeClair, Julie Winston-Thomas, and Timothy Thomas-is fun, silly, and decidedly campy. Though the writers' inspiration clearly comes from B-horror films, their work is original and pays homage to the best and worst of the genre without imitating it. Frank Benge's direction works perfectly with the material. The text doesn't take itself seriously, and neither does Benge's direction. The goal here is to entertain, tongue firmly planted in cheek.

The world developed by the creative team deserves some kudos as well. Scenic Designer Eric Nelson provides us with a fairly blank unit stage, decorated only with a platform, a few posters, a small tent, and Merle's trailer, all of which are used to create multiple locations during the flashback sequences. The lighting by Amy Lewis is colorful, as to be expected from a circus, but also a bit dark and foreboding. The costumes by Lee Easter and Veronica Prior run the gamut from tailored suits to punk rock outfits to glittering circus costumes, and the original music by Anna Larson provides the show with a delightful but sometimes creepy and dissonant carnival score.

While the entire cast of The Brothers Merlin is fantastic, there are a few performers who are clear stand-outs. Ian King is perfect as Thomas, the devious, conniving, self-serving villain. Renee Stewart is superb as Merle's foul-mouthed, tough wife, Evelyn. Darren Scharf is wonderfully over the top as Fritzi, the Nazi dog trainer, and as the mute Cue Card Girl who keeps the audience informed of where we are in the multitude of overlapping flashbacks, Amy Lewis is hysterical, particularly when she shows us how bored her character is with the cue cards and the proceedings in general.

The Brothers Merlin certainly is far from an ordinary theatrical event. This show is an eclectic and often nonsensical hodge-podge of styles and stories that come together to create a memorable and enjoyable evening of theater. You'll be hard pressed to find a point or meaning in the play, but you'll laugh your ass off in the process.

NOTE: Recommended for mature audiences (and immature audiences) only.

Running time: Pre-show runs 30 minutes. Show runs 2 hours and 10 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

THE BROTHERS MERLIN, produced by Loaded Gun Theory, plays The Off Center at 2211 Hidalgo St, Austin 78702 now thru June 1st. Performances are Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $15 - $28. For tickets and information, please visit www.loadedguntheory.com or www.brothersmerlin.com