Matthew Posey’s ‘Kaput’ at Ochre House Theater
Photos by Justin Locklear
—Martha Heimberg
What’s bobbing up out of the deluge of Dallas rain at Ochre House Theater? A whiskery captain and a crew of misfits are roving the stormy seas in a magical tugboat—in search of a mysterious island to find what they most desire. Also, they’re just looking for any port in a storm, and do they find a doozy.
Kaput, a funny, offbeat musical written and directed by Ochre House artistic director Matthew Posey, is a 90-minute journey of inventive staging, clever puppetry and fresh music in the intimate 45-seat theater near Fair Park. The company’s longtime audiences have come to expect such theater, but this small company still has surprises up its sleeve. The energetic, all-in ensemble of six actors delivers a hilarious chorus line number, or a groan-out-loud pun, with zest and a broad comic style just right for the happy tale.
Music composer and director Justin Locklear provides an accompanying score, and a half-dozen tunes for the adventurers. Posey wrote the lively lyrics. A stage-side musicians in pirate dress (Greg Prickett on guitar, Aaron Gonzales on bass) carry the singers along, with the accordionist (Elijah Clements) adding a carousel wistfulness to the show. An opening number (“Ballad of Captain Chuck”) sets the merry tone, with all hands on deck outfitted in costume designer Ryan Matthieu Smith’s bright yellow slickers and boots, singing and dancing around the tugboat.
Captain Chuck, a doughty and sentimental Brian Witkowiscz, depends a lot on his talking Tugboat Tappy, a perpetually cheerful Erin Everywhere. Made of cardboard and rolled around the stage on wheels, she consoles her luckless captain when he mourns his lost love Annabel. He lost her in a mall, actually, but barroom legend has it that he did her in. Malls can be so cruel. Each time the captain says his love’s name, he sets off chiming bells and chuckles in the audience.
They rescue a French feminist activist (a svelte, strident Janet Dodd) and a pretty newsboy who longs to be a girl (a feisty, touching Lauren Massey), then head out to open sea. Posey designed the set, and scenic artist Isaac Davies painted the dimpled, suggestive clouds and the grab-and-go wave boards the crew swings back and forth when a storm is called for. When Tappy asks if they’re lost, Captain Chuck replies, “Not lost so much as I don’t know where the hell I am.” It doesn’t really matter, since they keep running into such bizarre creatures.
The variety and economy of the set and props—and the wonderful puppets—are much of the fun in the show. Brad Hennigan, who plays multiple characters, comically appears as a menacing moray eel with a big, masked head and long, cylindrical tail, part costume and part puppet. Rolling his eyes, he says, “I wanted to see if I could have you for dinner.” Cassie Bann operates a toothy rod-and-arm puppet, “a rude herring,” who shrieks insults at everybody. We laugh at old jokes and silly puns in this show because they’re so charmingly paired with witty props and funny outfits.
My favorite bit of puppetry is a line formed when four characters each pick up a gizmo with trousers attached, and hold it waist-high. As the tugboat tows them to safety, those fancy pants make some incredibly agile kicks, while the audience claps and cheers. Davies, Posey, Locklear and lighting designer Kevin Grammer are credited with the puppet builds.
Our crew finally makes it to the mysterious island, of course, and even to a glittery underwater kingdom—but they must brave some dangerous/funny doings before they get what they came for. Will Captain Chuck’s luck change? Does it rain sea monkeys in this crazy place? Head down to Deep Ellum and check out the weather at Ochre House.
WHEN: October 28-November 18, 2023
WHERE: 825 Exposition Avenue, Dallas
WEB: ochrehousetheater.org
