Tutto Theater has a habit of presenting works that defy clasification, and with their latest work The Dudleys, a project of New York's Leegrid Stevens, who brings the project to Austin for its first full-stage debut, we find ourselves at a similar impasse. Though on the surface, it seems a farce, a family and their neighbors running around in a video game world (complete with 8-bit graphic projected on a screen behind), there are also frequent musical numbers, skewing its clasification even further. The play also covers some emotionally devastating landscape, even amidst all the zombies and Punch Out references. Without the right people in charge, this could be a disaster, but luckily talented director Gary Jaffe stepped up to the plate with gusto, juggling all of these disparate elements with ease and creating a wonderful mash up that shouldn't work on paper, but which shines in execution. Writer Stevens also should receive credit, for he created a world that is at once hilariously zany and touchingly poignant, all without confusing the audience.
As the play begins, we're introduced to the bizarre 8-bit world of the Dudley family, consisting of the two athletic sons, Vic and Derek, portrayed by Braden Hunt and Alex Cogburn respectively; the bookish daughter Sylvia, played by Jenny Keto; and the tired mother Clara, played by Erin Treadway, each suffering over the death of the family patriarch Tom, who appears as a zombie throughout most of the play. Also along for the ride are Tom's insane sister Meg, played by Kate McGinnis, who may or may not be a Master of Zombies, her runaway daughter Onna, and a whole crazy cast of neighbors. After the death of Tom, each begins to change in drastic ways. Derek turns to petty crime, Sylvia enters an abusive relationship, and Clara begins to turn to Judaism, and become suicidal (which becomes difficult after she is given 30 extra lives). Though the men all do great work, it's mostly the women who come out on top. McGinnis shows her versatility here, as the clinic owner/zombie master/sister of Tom,bringing real pathos to a role that could have been made of pure insanity. Keto touches our hearts as Sylvia, playing more than a nerdy girl, but instead showing us the inner depths of loneliness, and how it drives us to places we wouldn't otherwise go. Also shining bright is Treadway, whose portrayal of Clara is multi-layered, showing the inner pain while at the same playing her moments of dark humor to the best of her ability, keeping the audience on their toes. In the end, the ensemble creates a one-of-a-kind experience that audiences won't soon forget.
Though much of the play keeps its pathos hidden in a veil of farce, in its final moments it finally gets the nerve to leave its heart bare. I have gotten emotional at a few plays, shed a tear for Jean Valjean and Moretz Stiefel, but as Robert Deike takes to stage as Tom, dying father of the Dudley clan, I found myself unable to hold back the tears. Having recently lost a loved one to the ravages of cancer, watching Deike on stage was like being there once again, his gasps for water, his glasses, any sign of comfort or normality, his inability to get that comfort, his face exploding in sorrow, were all too familiar. It was obvious that Stevens knew exactly what it felt like to lose a father to cancer, as his rendition of the vent is one of the most honest and heartbreaking I've ever seen, and even as he character's soul (taking the form of a depressed ballerina) takes off in all its pixelated glory, one still can't help but be moved. Both Stevens and Deike deserve high accolades for this, as well as director Jaffe, for this moment could have been offensive or unbelievable if not handled with the utmost care.
A small house and an out-of-the-way venue may keep The Dudleys from being seen by more people, but it well deserving of a large audience. Its mix of comedy, drama, and musical may seem off-putting at first, but as the play progresses, and it lets the audience get a peek into its rawest points, one will find themselves at ease in the world. Tutto has brought together just the right team to bring together this mish mash, creating something the audience is not likely to see the likes of for some time to come.
The Dudleys is playing at the Blue Theatre through May 21st at 8:00pm. For more information, visit Tutto Theatre's website at tuttotheatre.org.
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