Bohemian Cinema By Jonathan Pacheco

“Port Twilight or the History of Science”

The praise of the Undermain Theatre’s production of Port Twilight primarily centers around, well, the production. Not that it’s undeserved. The play is a three-ring circus of sliding curtain sets, complex sound, light, and video design, and a cast that carries its weight playing scientists, rabbis, mythical demons and, yes, even an organ grinder. Port Twilight is not unlike Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, a sci-fi/fantasy-noir bathed in the kind of retro-futuristic motif that typically leaves me weak in the knees. So it’s understandable that the Dallas media want to gush about the Undermain’s accomplishments; small, well-executed, experimental theater isn’t as common in these parts as many would like. Yet too many reviewers almost refuse to examine the play itself, completely satisfied with the euphoria provided by such a technically ambitious presentation. Call me spoiled, but I expect a well-executed, entertaining production. I want more than the superficial extravaganza, and unfortunately that’s where the show’s flaws lurk.

To read the rest of my first theater review, mosey on over to the official blog of Slant Magazine, The House Next Door.