(OUTview NW) RE-view: Sidewinders: Experimental or Lost in Translation?

FZ

by MK Scott

I always enjoy exploring new Seattle Theater Companies, especially if they focus are Gay Theater. Fantastic Z is the 4th group I have discovered just in the past year.

So when I discovered their current production, Sidewinders, being performed at Hugo House and it was something like a Western about Gender, I thought, “interesting”.

So, this past Saturday, I attended this ONE Act (yes, another one) play. Extended ONE Acts must be a trend, Ya Think? Most of the new productions lately have had no intermission.

Back to Sidewinders, a Play written by Basil Kreimendal and Directed by Joshua Jon, half of the production was Bailey, the soldier (Jessica Severance), and Dakota, the Cowboy or Girl, (Dakota) going round and around about How are they going to ‘F*CK? Bailey has no sex organs and is unsure of Gender. Seriously, I am unsure of Dakota’s Gender! Bailey wanted Dakota to decide and that will determine if Dakota is straight or Gay (Depending on whose gender is which). At first I thought it was a sketch from SNL or the Big Gay Sketch Show, but no, it was half of the play. Confused?

Sandy adds her 2 cents                   FZ

Then came the super funny Sandy (Patrick Lucey-Conklin), a Trans woman with a few extra legs and arms. Think Freak Show, minus the second head. When Sandy does the monologue, I get it and I am sold. Dakota and Bailey steal Sandy’s stage coach and meet up with Sandy’s Doctor Sam (Kurt Langmeyer) who is handsome and amusing, especially when he tries to hang himself on more than one occasion. Sam offers to transform Bailey to whatever gender Bailey chooses. The Meaning: Bailey decides not to have the surgery because the Love from Dakota is so strong and should continue without the stigma of organs or the label of a gender.

I got it, or did I? but it took too long. Dare I call this Experimental or A Work in Progress? The actors were only doing what the playwright wanted and some of the dialogue gets lost, but the meaning at the end is revealed, but you may get lost getting there. Huh?

Fantastic Z’s Sidewinders Closes Sat, 8/1 at Richard Hugo House…Click HERE for Tix.