Friday, 5/23/97 Soap opera-style segments bring ‘Taboo’s’ black
humor into spotlight THEATER: Open Fist group puts on late-night
show that provides alternative entertainment
By Vanessa VanderZanden Daily Bruin Staff Meet Milo Periwinkle.
He’s the fun loving children’s-show host who likes to work out his
psychological demons amidst a room full of 6 year olds. Meet the
twins. They’re the goofy gals in search of one man who can sexually
satisfy them both. Say hello to Taboo Theater. It’s the late night
show that brings all of these neurotic characters together. "Here,
four story lines will coexist in the same evening like a soap
opera," explains Matt Nix, one of the show’s writers and a UCLA
political science alumnus. "But it’s not really a parody of soap
operas, it’s just a dark comedy serialized in the way a soap opera
would be, with story lines intertwining." Scrambled together every
Saturday at 11 p.m., the Los Angeles Playhouse welcomes Taboo
Theater into its La Brea location. The theater space runs
mainstream shows at 8:00 p.m., with the Open Fist theater group
performing their twisted black humor once the general audiences
have left. However, the stage scenery remains the same for all
shows. "It’s challenging, because right now the space regularly
runs a Greek-something show," Nix laments. "So we can’t have big
sets. We have to get it all across with character interaction."
Although the soap opera style of Taboo Theater might be new to the
Open Fist group when the show opens this Saturday, the idea isn’t
completely original – it first got its start in New York some years
ago. Only after the members of the East Coast production discussed
matters with the 2-year-old late-night L.A. faction, did the West
Coast rendition begin to take form. Now, the writers and actors
have been able to prepare for three months. "It’s been challenging
to create bit segments for eight weeks worth of material," Nix
admits. "My segment will run for about 15 minutes a week, so that
by the end of the series, I’ll have written about two hours worth
of material, the same length as a whole play." Particularly
difficult is the fact that each weekly episode must resolve itself
within one evening, while still leaving enough storyline to work
with in the upcoming weeks. In this way, audiences may view only
one isolated evening and procure as much enjoyment as one who
attends the series regularly. Either way, a diverse fan base seems
destined to develop. "It’s for an audience that wants an
alternative to having a beer yet doesn’t want to sit through a big
drama or play," says UCLA psychology alumnus and Taboo Theater
producer, Michael Kaliski. "Anybody’s welcome. In the past, our
shows have usually attracted a young, hip crowd." Previous
presentations have included such bizarre tales as "The Moke-eater."
Originally performed in the ’60s, Kaliski found the original
director to revitalize the tale of a man whose car breaks down in a
Midwestern town. Due to the stage scenery, which was set up for the
8 o’clock regular-run Little Mermaid-style piece, "Sea Jewel," the
Open Fist rendition proved truly abstract. "It was like the
‘Twilight Zone’ on acid," Kaliski relates. "Half of the stage was a
fishing village and the other half was Neptune’s Lair. To do
something from the Midwest in an underwater fantasy town was really
fun." While this Taboo Theater series may not prove so surreal, it
will definitely work off of the darkly incisive comedic vein for
which the late-night space has gained recognition. Nix’s first show
segment, for example, will have his children’s-show host revealing
to his youthful fans that he may have testicular cancer and
eventually breaking down on stage. Nix knew this role would require
a special talent. "From the minute I heard the actor’s voice who
plays Milo’s part on my answering machine, I knew he was it," Nix
relates, chuckling. "He had the voice I had been writing the role
in. I certainly wouldn’t want to say this actor is the character I
wrote, but the character has to be self-dramatizing and he had a
New York accent." Yet, the role of Milo exists as only one example
of how well the show has come into place. One of Nix’s childhood
friends will perform the role of Milo’s sidekick, while Kaliski
will step out of his producer role to don the title of "asshole
station manager." These choice fits only represent one aspect of
the multifaceted show. Nix explains that there will also be short
filler pieces between the alternating four segment bits. "Some of
them will be like short character sketches and some might be
commercial parodies. Everything hangs together because it all
pushes the envelope. It’s all extreme humor," Nix says. Though most
audiences of the late-night variety appreciate such bawdy comedy,
reactions vary. For the most recent production of the Open Fist
troupe, one of Kaliski’s friends left directly afterwards. Though
the show proved too naughty for her, Nix is looking forward to the
creative freedom which the Taboo Theater will provide. "I used to
work for the Turner Network," Nix groans. "I really got to know
things like Civil War pieces and Indian dramas, but how many times
can you hear the line, ‘You are born under the fire of the sky. You
will be a great warrior?’" THEATER: Taboo Theater runs at 11 p.m.
on Saturdays at the Los Angeles Playhouse on 1625 N. La Brea in
Hollywood. Tickets are $10. For more information, call (213)
882-6912.