PHOTO: Elaitheia Quinn as Barbara in BOOM. Photo courtesy of Theater On The Edge.
"A play-going experience that's as cinematic as any 4D attraction." - by Seth Kubersky
Here is a great review for BOOM. Click the link below to read the full review...
FULL REVIEW BELOW:
I went to see 'BOOM' and 'Wind Up 1957' for some simple human comedy, but, inevitably, present-day politics intruded
By SETH KUBERSKY
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's BOOM is a pitch-black dramatic sci-fi musical comedy that doesn't merely blend genres – it pulverizes them into fish food.
The play begins like a ribald post-millennial rom-com, with aspiring journalist Jo (Megan Raitano) answering a Craigslist come-on for "no strings attached" sex in an effort to fulfill her college writing assignment. Jules (Adam Minossora), her would-be booty call, is an anxious ichthyologist whose botched attempt at luring lovers into his underground lab would be endearingly icky in a more conventional comedy. But things take a dark turn into Twilight Zoneterritory when Jules' predictions of an imminent doomsday prove prescient, provoking a bare-knuckle battle over whether our species deserves to survive.
All of Theater on the Edge's previous shows have been impressively immersive, thanks to designer Samantha DiGeorge's hyper-realistic sets, but BOOM elevates the company's technical efforts to an entirely new level. Derek and Jared Rowe of Doctrine Creative, along with director Marco DiGeorge, generated slick sci-fi animations; Nicholas Roberts composed an original score, highlighted by a rousing satirical sing-along led by Barbara (Elaitheia Quinn), the enigmatic observer dressed like an Epcot escapee who mostly comments via kettle drum. Add in the atmospheric fog and stomach-rattling sound effects, and you've got a play-going experience that's as cinematic as any 4D attraction.
Though billed as a comedy, BOOM is more nail-biting than most thrillers, with many gasps and groans between the uncomfortable chuckles when raunchy gags give way to existential angst over global extinction. (There's also a distressing number of casual homophobic slurs, which date it to a decade ago even more than Jules' obsolete iPod.)
Minossora and Raitano both deliver psychically and physically punishing performances that are compelling to watch, but every line is shouted at an 11 on the emotional intensity meter, and their comedic momentum is frequently derailed by Pinteresque pauses.
If I nitpick the details of this explosive production, it's only because this company has blasted my expectations sky-high in their short but incendiary existence. BOOM is challenging, thought-provoking and unlike anything else playing in Orlando right now. Just don't go in looking for an evening of easy belly laughs, because you're more likely to exit shaken, contemplating the end of all mankind and keeping a close eye on your aquarium.
