The Dimension of DEATH! @ Pegasus Theatre
Photo by Alan Abair Photography
—Jan Farrington
When I was young and Ike was in the White House, my Dad had a vintage radio whose innards (full of tubes and wires) looked like a mini version of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab. And all through the ‘50s and ‘60s, he still, somehow, could find stations broadcasting old radio programs like “The Shadow.”
These shows had me at hello. They were great, time-traveling fun—taking both of us back to when Dad was my age. Sure, the acting style was a little stiff and corny, and the story lines wildly over-dramatic. But they were quirky and entertaining enough to keep us both in our seats.
I got the same sort of oddball fun from Pegasus Theatre’s The Dimension of Death! at the Charles W. Eisemann Center—the 22nd installment in the company’s long-running “Living Black & White” series, though the first for me. Written, of course, by the (long-running himself) Kurt Kleinmann and directed by Michael Serrecchia, a capable cast throws themselves 100 percent into this shaggy-alien story, playing the drama straight, and the comedy even straighter…as one must.
If you, like me, haven’t tried the “B&W” series before, its trademarked claim to fame is its utter commitment to the look of old black-and-white movies and television. To that end, the sets are created in fifty shades of black/white/gray tones (sets by Robert H. Winn, props by John Harvey). The team of expert designers includes Leslie Patrick (makeup), Michael A. Robinson (costumes), Roy Turpin (wigs), all if it enhanced by Cooper Mitchell’s precision lighting and Armando Monsivais’ wonderful sound design and original music. His introductory fanfares and melodramatic flourishes punctuate the action perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the pre-show and intermission music—lots of great period tunes—and the authentic-looking filmed titles and credits for the show. (There’s even a glimpse of the beautiful red Pegasus that flew high over downtown Dallas for decades.)
But back to our story.
The time? April 18, 1955. The place? The remote barely-a-town of Paradise Ranch, Nevada.
Dauntless (if a bit dim) detective Harry Hunsacker (Scott Nixon) has been called to a top-secret military facility in the desert, tripping alarms as he goes. Greeted by Captain Ruth (Rowan Gilvie) and Colonel Jean (Alex Moore)—strong handshakes all around—Harry is briefed on their mission to “develop a spy plane”—oops, I mean “make first contact” with a parallel alien world (perhaps one more chic than our own).
From then on, you don’t need an early-warning system—just let the plot fly over and around you like a UFO on a joy ride.
Things (and people) keep happening: the Teutonic Dr. Teitlebaum (Brandon Whitlock steals several scenes), an ex?-Nazi egghead Harry knows from earlier installments of the series…Treasury agent Sam Phillips (J.R. Bradford), who comes in on a patriotic note every time…his doe-eyed assistant Johnson J. Johnson (David Helms), and yes, Johnson is his middle name too…suspiciously smart local yokel Madge Butinski (funny Olivia Grace Murphy subbing for Natalia Borja on the day reviewed)…a couple of well-dressed alien VIPs (Leslie Patrick and Salvador Elias)…and a pair of noisy pirates (Dayna Fries and Sheila D. Rose) on loan from Gilbert and/or Sullivan. Harry’s crew is there too: stalwart friend Nigel (Ben Bryant) and smart, fedora-wearing Captain Foster (Chad Cline), who clues Harry in when he’s…clueless.
This romp isn’t for everyone—but if you’ve grinned at least once reading this review, it’s probably something to try out, at least once. It’s an experience, and you might just find it gets to be your annual “thing.” From the size of the mid-run audience, there are a lot of fans out there!
WHEN: Through January 22
WHERE: Charles W. Eisemann Center, Richardson
WEB: pegasustheatre.org
