How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients SKINNYFEST 2

This flashily-titled absurdist play contains many striking elements: a beautifully simple and at times commanding set, compelling costumes and make-up, and strong performances by several actors, most notably Jeremy Lawrence and Jimmy Kieffer. But the troupe has travelled all the way from optimistic Los Angeles to present a script that promises great farce but gives nothing palpable to its audience. Some powerful images arise, such as that of the patients all cloaked under one mass cloth. But ultimately the acerbic examination of Communism falls victim to wearying dialogue. The jokes surpass the repetitive as one mental patient recites variations of "This isn't Switzerland!" so many times that the absurdity and any political implications are overpowered by a sense of monotony; and the phrase "deep shit" can only be satirically invoked so many times before one starts to forget what eerie part of the past we are supposed to be examining.