(The) Book of Matches Our Endeavors Theater Collective cooks up a tribute to Marcel Duchamp performed inside the exhibit of the Dada-ist's work at the Dallas Museum of Art. John Flores, Lulu Ward and Lainie Simonton eat up 40 minutes with bizarre movement, nonsensical dialogue and abstract musical interludes, some played on a child's xylophone. Somewhere between performance art and the ministry of silly walks, this piece might contain an ironic message about the intrusion of technology on personal behavior, or maybe it's a metaphysical study in how to make an audience uncomfortable (seat them on hard wooden benches and wait for the fun to begin). Performed again October 28, November 20, December 10, 17 & 18 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St., 214-922-1200. Reviewed this week. (Elaine Liner)
Margo Veil: An Entertainment Wanna bet? Len Jenkin's 80-minute script sounds like pages of 12 different (not very good) radio plays shuffled together and performed with no explanation for the non-linear format. The opening story of a young actress (Shannon Kearns) who gives up the stage to move back to the Midwest is quickly abandoned for a bizarre journey into radio evangelism, soul-shifting machinery, serial killers, escaped convicts, magicians, country line dancing (if that's what it was) and monologues by passengers on invisible trains. Just when you start to think they can't possibly carry on with this hoo-ha any longer, there are still 45 minutes to go (and without an intermission, there's no possibility of an early escape). The ensemble--Bruce DuBose, Jack Birdwell, Rhonda Boutte, Carrie Bourne, Brady Fuqua, Joel McDonald, Matthew Posey and Kearns--could surely put their considerable talents to better use. Through November 19 at Undermain Theatre, 3200 Main St.,
214-747-5515. Reviewed this week. (E.L.)
