Austin On Stage - Your Online Source for Austin's Performing Arts

REVIEW: MilkMilkLemonade by Shrewd Productions at The VORTEX Theatre

By Olin Meadows

I will tell you up-front that the original comedy MilkMilkLemonade - by playwright Joshua Conkel and staged at The VORTEX Theatre by Shrewd Productions - is by far the most non-stop hilarious show I have seen in a very, very long time. I laughed so hard that I though I was going to fall apart.

Centering around little Emory - an adorable 11-year-old boy who has a colorful life of talking chickens and street bullies - all he wants is a shot at "Search for the Stars" and to be famous. All his Nana wants is for him to be more normal, like Elliott the bully who lives down the street. All Elliot wants is to be nice and be able to express his feeling - instead of

listening to the evil twin living in his thigh.

Elliot has feelings for Emory, and Emory is confused about why he likes to do girly things and why his tummy feels funny when Elliot is around. To help him deal with all of these thoughts and emotions, Emory has his best friend Linda - a life-size talking chicken who just wants to be a comic. All of the characters crash into a moment where they each have to decide what is the best path for them to take, and realize the sacrifices that have to be made on the path to happiness. And in the end, everything works out for the best.

Every element of this production works together in perfect, comedic harmony. From the moment you walk into the theatre - and see the simplistic, child-like set brilliantly created by designer Nick Renaud - you immediately fall in love. And as much as I loved the set, wait until you see the brilliant costumes by Pam Friday, and the make-up work by Amelia Turner

that is so realistic and believable it is scary.

The true joy of this brilliant and poignant play is Shannon Grounds as the "Lady in the Leotard," .ak.a. The Narrator. Grounds commands the stage in such a simple and youthful manner that from the first rise of the lights, you are immediately taken into the world of little Emory, the 11-year-old boy who doesn't think he acts like a girl - he just acts like himself. Such a simple and perfect way to look at gender and life as a whole.

Grounds plays a plethora of silly, yet very important, pieces of this puzzle - from her uncanny ability to translate chicken cluck into English, or her skills as the array of imaginary and unseen pieces of Emory's colorful and sometimes dark world.

Xaq Webb as "Emory" is a skilled actor who is amazingly believable as an 11-year-old boy. Webb handily demonstrates that it doesn't matter what people think of the things we do; it only matters that “you be you.” His role takes the audience on a journey of learning and growing - as Emory has to deal with tradition, abandonment, death, hatred, and eventually love - and how that love conquers even the darkest of moments.

Part of the darkness of this show comes from Emory's caretaker "Nana," the chain-smoking chicken farmer played by Chris Humphrey. Even though Nana would prefer that Emory stop dancing, day-dreaming and playing with dolls, she truly does love him and ultimately just wants what she thinks is the best for him - which is trying to help him fit into

society's chosen gender roles.

Humphrey does a superb job portraying an aging old woman that is the product of a hard life. Part of the believability of this role comes from the make-up and costumes that are executed to the highest level. But if you did not realize that she was such a skilled actress, you would believe that Humphrey is actually a woman dying of cancer.

Ultimately, the star turn of the show comes from Joe Hartman's portrayal of "Linda," Emory's best friend who also happens to be a chicken. Hartman's grace and comedic timing are on a level that I have not seen since I saw Harvey Fierstein as "Tevye" in Fiddler on the Roof.

I was totally enthralled with this show; it is brilliantly comprised of nothing but the best talents on all levels. A large portion of the credit should go to director Jason Hays, as his decisions of staging and use of symbolism have created a comedy that actually makes you think. I give the production "5 Out of 5 Stars" for being a show that keeps you laughing until you leave the theater - and then keeps you thinking long after the curtain closes.

Performances of MilkMilkLemonade run Thursdays through Sundays at 8 p.m. through September 26th. Tickets are $15 to $25.

The VORTEX Theatre is located at 2703 Manor Road. For more information and reservations, call (512) 478-5282 or visit www.ShrewdProductions.com.

(Photos by Kimberley Mead - from top:

- Xaq Webb as "Emory" and Jericho Thorp as “Elliot”

- Chris Humphrey as “Nana” and Xaq Webb as "Emory")

- Joe Hartman as “Linda”