It’s amazing what a cast of actors can do with a couple music stands and a treasure trove of creativity. “Night of the Chicken: Episode Two” is every bit as unique as its titular monster, and just as creative as Space 55 itself.
Designed to look like an old-fashioned radio play, “Night of the Chicken” makes inventive use of the stage, utilizing four mic stands from which the characters perform.
It’s an entirely different theatrical medium I’ve never seen on stage before, but from this performance, I now hope it catches on.
While “Night of the Chicken” is episode two of an ongoing series, the crew lets newcomers know what to expect before the play. The explanation even includes an introduction to their elaborate sound table.
Foley Artists Carrie Behrens and Aleksandra Hollis use household items to create a rich visual experience to accompany the story, such as squeezing empty water bottles to signify bones crunching or ringing a xylophone to indicate a school bell.
Behrens’ script is a strange and hilarious romp that provides fun improvisations for both cast and crew. The scenes are so well-written that they are given ample opportunities to show off their range, and Kim Porter’s seamless direction keeps the 90-minute play moving fluidly and the actors’ character transitions as smooth as butter.
Speaking of actors, lead Meredith Howell as Andi deserves a round of applause for her vocal temerity as well as her acting skills.
Whenever she transformed from girl to “werechicken,” her clucking techniques were so hilariously diverse that I found myself laughing more with each dramatic transformation.
Something about the stark spotlight, the wild, undulating avian screeches, and her almost casual throwing of yellow chicken feathers onto the stage had me at one point laughing so hard I had to cover my mouth so I didn’t cause a scene.
Puneet Bajwa is charming and hilarious as Bitzi, Andi’s best friend/reporter/backpack-wielding crime fighter.
Bajwa’s comedic timing was perfect, and equally convincing as both the sunny Bitzi and as Creepy Crystal, a dead-eyed goth girl.
Amy Carpenter is also hilarious as goth girl Morbid Monica; her slow, rasping voice and slumped posture was so spot-on I completely believed her character, even though she’d played a tough-talking, rough-walking lunch lady a few scenes earlier.
In one of my favorite scenes, Mr. K (Javier Gilmore), who created the “werechicken” that bit Andi, is in a high-stakes situation that can only be solved through dancing. Gilmore commits wholeheartedly, giving his students serious advice in between stone-faced dabs that had the audience laughing loudly.
BJ Garrett charmed in all his roles, from the suave and nerdy Jay Travers to one of Andi’s adoring dads. Jacob Stovall was amusing in his role as Diego Darkcanyon, the maniacally laughing star of a failed romantic horror series.
While watching this production, I got the sense that putting it together, in addition to performing, was more than half the fun.
From the humorous script to the inventive, perfectly-timed sound effects, the production of “Night of the Chicken” is so entertaining I had to cover my face to stop myself from laughing too loudly.
Contact the reporter at sosulli2@asu.edu.
