Theater Review: Mr. Marmalade

by Shawn Parikh

Shows like Mr. Marmalade are what I think about when I think of the perfect night of theater: brilliant acting, a hilarious script, and a message I am still chewing on two days after seeing it. I haven’t felt this enthused about a play since I saw Fat Pig this past fall, which was also offered by Kitchen Dog Theater.

Mr. Marmalade is about Lucy, a four year old girl whose mom is too busy for her, but she creates an invisible friend, Mr. Marmalade. However, Mr. Marmalade is abusive, inappropriate, snorts coke, and neglects her because he has a busy office job. Some lines in the show are just shocking when they come out the mouth and imagination of a four year old. I am sure you can see how this relates to how much kids nowadays pick up and are aware of everything.

Even though this is a pretty serious subject, Noah Haidle’s writing is so funny, that laughs occur pretty much every minute. Lead actress, Tina Parker, stated in her interview that this play is called a “savage black comedy,” and it is essentially the non-stop humor that makes the message come across louder. I was so surprised that everyone was laughing uproariously at situations and lines that would be incredibly taboo if they occurred in reality.

Tina Parker as Lucy was onstage practically every second and it was through her eyes we see the entire play. This being said, her performance does not let you down, not even for a split-second. She played a four year old with such credibility due to her vocal inflections and mannerisms. When she got excited, sad, frustrated, or tired, you could just picture a little kid acting the exact same way, but you also felt those emotions with her.

Even though Parker was at the foreground, the other actors also got moments to standout. As her preschool “love interest,” Michael Federico as Larry was so good in playing off of her vibe. He had some hilarious moments, especially when Lucy and Larry are playing “Doctor” and “House.” As Mr. Marmalade, Christopher Carlos helped create this negative influence on Lucy’s life, and you really wanted him to become invisible. As Bradley, Mr. Marmalade’s personal assistant, Cameron Cobb added the warmness and friendliness that we all hoped Lucy could feel. Leah Spillman, who played three different characters, got to show off her versatility, but as the babysitter, she was the most entertaining.

The design elements were all excellent and ideal for creating Lucy’s world. First and foremost, the intelligent set design (Craig Siebels) consisted of a living room where the walls and ceiling were made entirely of string. It did exactly what Siebels said he wanted to do as stated in the program notes: create a magical, childlike world that was still fragile and could unravel at any moment. The costumes (Christina Dickson) helped add character, such as Lucy’s tutu on top of her pink pajamas with a tiara on her head, or the babysitter’s thong peeking out above her jeans. Lights (Russell Dyer) and sounds (John Flores) got moments to add flavor, either with strong spotlights or hilarious lyrics that opened the show.

My friend made a valid point after the show: even if you are not a theatergoer or have never seen a play, you will enjoy this show because it is so funny. And also, it is “hit-and-run” theater, as Parker called it, since it is only 80 minutes long.

Kitchen Dog also likes to make theater accessible to anybody (Note: this play is for mature audiences only), and thus they offer a pay-what-you-can offer on Wednesdays and Thursdays to the first 25 patrons. Another treat is that they offer talkbacks with the cast and director after the Sunday shows which you can attend, even if you did not watch the show that day. Do you really need any more reason to go see it? Buy tickets by calling 214-953-1055 or ordering online.