It Looked So Real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It looked so real," I thought as I walked into the backdoor theatre Thursday evening. Louie's on 1st and Main could have been done with just the cardboard box and nothing else, being that the writing was so strong and it was a Black Box stage setting. But instead the company went above what one would of expected from a theater in back of a bar and lounge.

There were two brick buildings erected side by side with what looked like an alley between them with a cardboard box in it. I didn't touch the building because I thought that would be inappropriate, so I can't tell you what the bricks could have been made of; but it looked real enough. The buildings looked like New York style brownstones. They came equipped with stairs and a bench, and the porch lights were surprising to my expectations. They were real; which gave the buildings more authenticity. The cardboard box was very cliche, whether that was real or not, seeing a can of beans, panhandler cup, I almost expected Dimitri (the bum) to make his appearance in a trench coat wearing wool gloves with the fingers missing, and holding a bottle of whiskey. They could have been a little more modern with his place of residence. Maybe had him sleeping at a bus stop by the buildings.

The clothing was another story. Dimitri didn't come out in a trench but when he appeared sitting in front of his "home" his clothing wasn't what I expected. He had on pants and shirt but they looked like he was doing a tide commercial. His shirt had a couple of rips that were hidden behind his jacket, but other than that I couldn't match the fire in his words with the clothing on his back. His lack of filth took away from some of the passion they were trying to get across. He didn't look hungry broken enough. Elain Flowers (Remy) clothing looked more like a bum then Dimitri's. Louis's clothing was confusing only until I found out that he was actually a pigeon, hence the bare feet. You can't do anything but laugh at that.

The sound wasn't an issue with this play being that the actors were only feet in front of us. I'm being kind in saying that there were thirty chairs inside of the theatre. The black curtain in the alley gave it depth behind Dimitri's cardboard box, along with the lighting being just right in such a small space. I didn't feel like I needed sunglasses during this production.

Overall it was a well put together piece of work. Other then the clothing on Dimitri the stage, lighting, and costumes made Louie's at 1st and Main worth watching.