BWW Reviews: Maneuvering the Universe with THE NAILS

In a world that is so meticulously run by big business, it often seems as though the universe itself revolves around the almighty dollar. Particularly in the reality for artists, the corporate world is rarely viewed as an entity of good. Rather, it is seen as a soul sucking enterprise that can leave one wondering if their colleagues are man or beast.

That appears to be the purpose of Doug Reed's latest brainchild The Nails.

The Nails is a type of corporate fairytale of sorts - following Kella Winter and her stuffed penguin Zylorc after they are chaotically thrown into an alternate dimension. Their newfound reality begins in the arctic and, to avoid freezing to death, Kella takes on a career with The Corporation, which is a business run entirely by animals. Employing the 'dog eat dog' mentality of the corporate ladder, this 'walrus eats everybody else' company has Kella's future - and her livelihood - in the crosshairs.

Director Rob Mastushita's cast is what brings this absurd expose of corporate America to life.

Caitlin Robb is the witty Kella who must demonstrate her ability to act while standing on one foot or hopping across the stage to exit. Her facial expressions play incredibly well to Broom Street Theatre's small playing space. Robb's shining moments, however, come in her interactions with co-star Damon Butler as her childhood stuffed penguin Pengi AKA Zylorc Herringdestroyer. The two play off so well with one another, as if they truly have known one another for ages.

Butler as Zylorc is everything one could ever hope for in an anthropomorphized plush penguin. His love for Kella is palpable with every flick of his flipper. And Laurie Everitt's costume design for Zylorc in particular deserves recognition. His subtle, pale yellow bowtie and sneakers were perfect devices to tie his costume together.

All of the performers in the cast are spot on in their personas - especially the outlandish Donnovan Moen as Blackbeard the Pirate and Benjamin Otto as Alexander Graham Bell.

One thing that The Nails needs is structure.

While the concept of "it's Lewis Carroll with a desk job" is charmingly valid, the show itself is confusing. The metaphor for the business world being a zoo is clear, but several points of the show do not line up. Despite the excellent work by Moen and Otto as Blackbeard and Bell, their inclusion in the script is never explained. Why those particular characters? What is their purpose in the overall message of the show? Why is the Hedge Fund fairy the one writing Kella's story when it can still continue if the fairy isn't there?

Tightening the script could do away with many of the plot structure issues.

The Nails is like Disney's Toy Story meets The Corporation, a comedic though bleak reminder that the capitalist dream can often do away with childhood aspirations. All while reminding audiences that "a stuffed penguin has dreams."

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