Review: Titanic (Cock & Bull Theatre)

  
  
Titanic

Written by Christopher Durang  
Directed by Chris Garcia Peak
Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport (map)
thru Jan 28  |  tickets: $12-$17.50   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
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‘Titanic’ the funniest sinking ship ever

Cock & Bull Theatre presents

Titanic

Review by Lauren Whalen 

Christopher Durang lives to mess with your brain. Using non-sequiturs, insane plot twists and turns and snappy dialogue, the iconic playwright keeps audience members on their toes and converts newbies to fans for life by evening’s end. Durang first presented his version of Titanic in 1976 while at Yale School of Drama, starring classmate Sigourney Weaver. And in a sparkling and hilarious interpretation, Cock & Bull Theatre plays on more recent Titanics while staying true to Durang’s zany style.

It’s 1912, and the well-to-do Tammurai family (Sarah Hecht, Noah Lepawsky and Matthew “Olaf” Olson) has boarded the iconic ship Titanic, armed with fancy clothes and dirty secrets involving paternity, mirrors and white bread. Meanwhile, the Captain (Edward Karch) has a fondness for peeping and the Captain’s devious daughter Lidia (Sarah Jackson) isn’t exactly who she seems. Often stripped of his clothes at inappropriate moments, Higgins the Sailor (Daniel Dvorkin) spends most of the journey dodging lusty passengers while warning of an iceberg that no one wants to fully acknowledge.

At an intermission-free 80 minutes Titanic flies, only lagging slightly in the final third. This is due more to Durang’s otherwise flawless script than director Chris Garcia Peak’s energetic cast, who breeze through sharp sentences, death-defying fight choreography and sensuous coupling with the greatest of ease. Hecht is always a pleasure to watch and Titanic is no exception: clad in elegant puffed sleeves and delivering lines with upper class lockjaw, she ably navigates the breakneck pace while never denying the audience a laugh. Durang would be proud. As Teddy Tammurai, the wayward son of indiscriminate age, Olson uses a blond pageboy and short pants to his advantage – his rubbery expressions are a sure highlight. Lepawsky brings Jon Hamm-esque suavity and deadpan delivery to Tammurai patriarch Richard, who can’t seem to keep it in his exquisitely tailored trousers. Dvorkin portrays the “straight man” character with aplomb, often clad in little more than skintight underpants. And Jackson gives the mysterious Lidia real nuance and humanity, tap dancing on a table one moment and unsuccessfully, though genuinely, urging passengers to halt their wacky antics and just listen the next.

Peak orchestrates the constant action with a sure hand, incorporating references to the James Cameron film and Broadway stage production of Titanic without sacrificing the integrity of Durang’s script. In the program, Peak reveals he sought Durang’s advice for this production and his respect for the source material shines through in every moment. Titanic thrives thanks in part to its crack production team: though the costumes are not credited to one individual, Cock & Bull deserves commendation for the absurd and elaborate stripes, wigs and robes donned and doffed throughout the show. Heinrich Haley’s inspired set design innovates with shower curtains and strategically placed portholes, and Olson (doing double duty as Teddy and as the props designer) has great fun with a mask the captain enjoys wearing while intimate.

According to the company’s mission, Cock & Bull Theatre prides itself on “experimental plays that explore gender issues and issues of sexuality.” Christopher Durang’s Titanic couldn’t be a better fit for this unconventional company. From the drag queen greeting audience members outside the theater to the strange yet emotional final tableau, Cock & Bull gets it exactly right. A historical shipwreck was never more dysfunctional, sexually perverse and purely hilarious.

Rating: ★★★½

Titanic continues through January 28th at Athenaeum Theatre, 2136 N. Southport (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are $12-$17.50, and can be purchased by phone (773-935-6860) or online at OvationTix.com. More info at CockandBullTheatre.org. (Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission)

All photos by Lesley Jackson

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