Review: CANDLELIGHT DINNER and THE REASON WHY at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar

Thursday evening marked the debut of Chorus of Fools, a new theater company based in St. Louis. Chorus of Fools premiered two new plays CANDLELIGHT DINNER and THE REASON WHY by playwrights Jim Danek and e.k. doolin. Both one act plays, billed as “Twice Upon a Stage,” are directed by Chorus of Fools’ executive director Eric Satterfield and are being performed at Greenfinch Theatre and Dive Bar.   

In CANDLELIGHT DINNER Carl (Eric Satterfield) and his long-term partner, Carla (Jocelyn Padilla), are meeting for dinner at a local Italian restaurant following a shady spy mission. Carl asked the inept Carla to attend his employer’s funeral and snag a photo of his philandering brother-in-law. Unfortunately for Carla, nothing is easy, and things goes awry in this madcap comedy.  

Adding to Carl’s woes, the waiter Rudolpho (Xander Huber) catches Carla’s eye. Rudolpho and Carla have something unique in common. Both see the same psychiatrist who prescribes ‘emotional support puppets’ to help his patients express their innermost feelings. Carla and Rudolpho’s puppets can and will say anything that comes to mind. 

Danek’s script has enough amusing bits of situational comedy to keep the audience engaged. The comedic victim is the schlemiel, Carl. Satterfield’s Carl is the butt of Carla and Rudolfo’s jokes. His frustration with his blundering girlfriend and the boorish waiter is comical.  

CANDLELIGHT DINNER is not laugh-out-loud slapstick but has plenty of bawdy adult humor thanks to Padilla, Huber, and their work with their ‘emotional support puppets.’ Credit puppetry coach Joseph Garner for helping the actors bring puppet designer Vicki Delmas’ wonderful creations to life.

Padilla’s puppet is mouthy and crass. She shows strong versatility switching back and forth between Carla and her puppet alter-ego. Huber is magnificent. His female puppet mostly reacts to the conversation but has little to say. The way he animates the puppet while staying in character as Rudolpho is fantastic. His puppet reacts to the conversation with a swiveling neck, engages Rudolpho with knowing glances, and heaps guilt on Rudolpho. Huber’s phenomenal puppetry gives the inanimate object an expressive personality without using words. He also gets to go full-on silly with a fish puppet later in the show that is one of the giddiest bits of Danek’s script.  

Huber shows impressive ingenuity and adroit skill as an actor. He also fills a second role in e.k. doolin’s drama THE REASON WHY. These are the fourth and fifth roles the young actor has played in the past year, and his portrayals continue to wow. He is immensely talented and can play both comedic and dramatic parts. 

doolin's THE REASON WHY is exactly the reason why it needs to be a priority to get to Greenfinch to this weekend for Chorus of Fool’s double bill. Her script is a heartfelt examination of people suffering from addiction and depression. Filled with both humor and pathos, doolin’s unfeigned script reveals how dire circumstances can build life-changing relationships.  

The compassionately written characters are brought to life by the remarkable and genuine performances of Irene Cornett (Vivian), LaWanda Jackson (Lee), and Xander Huber (Pete). Vivian is a middle-aged mother from rural Illinois who spews racial microaggressions and hatred in a drunken stupor. Lee is a counselor and Ph.D. candidate who has received a grant to start a pilot counseling program. Pete is an early twenties devotee of the horrorcore hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. Together, the strange bedfellows find unexpected bonds.  

THE REASON WHY’s melancholic bittersweetness is both a heartbreaking and uplifting tale of the human spirit. The poignant story builds audience empathy and wets eyes with tears. Its superbness is in its originality, illustrating that our best selves can emerge when we are at our lowest.

The satirical CANDLELIGHT DINNER and the profoundly moving THE REASON WHY are part of Chorus of Fools “Twice Upon a Stage” that plays the Greenfinch Theatre and dive bar through the weekend. The remaining performances are Friday, August 16th and Saturday, August 17th at 7:30 PM, with a matinee performance on Sunday, August 18th at 2:00 PM.  Click the link below to purchase tickets.  

PHOTO CREDIT: David Nonemaker

To post a comment, you must register and login.