​Laura Carson

 

Sprinkle a little Mamet, Moliere and Tarantino pixie dust in the air, and you might be ready to interpret the mysterious collision of characters and events in “Reformation of Flesh.” Miff and Desmond Stuckey, tourists from North Carolina, accidentally stumble into a shabby, run-down bungalow near Venice Beach, California, and become unwitting players in the dangerous and criminal plans of Tonya, Roxanne and the clueless Trevor; the edgy, tattooed, drug-addicted tenants. Nobody is quite who they seem, and something more than coincidence has brought these people together today. The play is a collage of clashing morals, religious beliefs, and lifestyles: a crime drama that slowly reveals itself to be so much more. And who is Christopher? With clues from a street preacher, a roided-out thug, a mysterious doctor, a forensic pathologist, and an eight-year-old cross dresser, we come to comprehend the reach of Christopher’s legacy and perhaps put all the pieces of this puzzle together. Do we ever see people for who they really are? Do we deserve second chances? What is the nature of forgiveness? “Reformation of Flesh” - an ink-stained, brutal farce opens the many doors to these questions.