Sundown at the Devil's House Review

Sundown at the Devil's House is Cafe Nordo's first "Pressure Cooker" experiment and without a doubt, it has produced delicious results. I saw the opening night, Thursday show and was blown away.

This is dinner theater like you've never experienced. It's not sexy dinner theater. It's not tacky or roll-your-eyes cheesy dinner theater. It's not a mystery dinner theater. What it is though, is a sinfully delicious 4-course dinner seamlessly interwoven with theater, stories, & music.

The Devil's gravelly voice & spirit guide you through delightful tales from the point of view of the fallen angel. The music, scenes, food & drink are integrated in such a way that you just have enough time to catch your breath and appreciate each course and paired drink (a $20 upgrade that is not to be missed), before being sucked into the next story. The stories are funny and make you feel alive but is at no point scary or depressing. The lovingly detailed papercraft is a surprising delight to behold and transforms the one room brick theater.

You are welcome to be as involved in the initial summoning of the Devil as you would like, but I was happy that the majority of the show, while incredibly immersive, doesn't create the atmosphere in a taxing way. My only complaint was that the main course, a scrumptious jambalaya, and the last scene overlapped a bit and I was unable to fully appreciate either as much as I would have liked. In all the other courses, I had plenty of time to savor each bite and chat comfortably with my tablemates before the lights dimmed and the next story began.

Since Sundown at the Devil's House is the first Cafe Nordo's Pressure Cooker show, it has a short run of only 5 shows, and only 2 shows still have seats available, Saturday June 25th & Monday June 27th.

Hats off to the entire cast and crew and I look forward to future Cafe Nordo productions.

ACTLab & Red Stage: Worse Than Tigers Review

Worse Than Tigers is about people who are desperate, but for reasons that might not be obvious. It's a brain twister-y exploration into the idea of safety and empathy.

The two main characters, Olivia and Humphry, have built up so many distractions that they can't see past, and are both just soundlessly screaming into the void. It's bitter and caustic, but surprisingly not in a depressing sort of way. Humphry has perfected the persona of the nice, caring husband, where nice means placating, and caring means only things that are good for you are allowed. Olivia appears to be the consummate wife; however, while she's attentive, it's obvious she's completely detached and does so by rote habit.

The show is gorgeously furnished by Stoneway Furniture, but a cheesy set piece/light and cell phone sound effects marred an otherwise mature production. The audience hems in the one room stage, slowly building a claustrophobic atmosphere that by the end, will leave you questioning how we got to a place where the answer is always safe = good.