The end times create comic gold, bada-bing, bada-‘Boom’
“Boom” might be the funniest fish story I’ve heard. Not “fish story” as in a tall tale, but an actual story about fish – fish who might hold the key to the planet’s survival.
Onstage at Theater on the Edge in Edgewood, “Boom” mines multiple types of comedy — absurdist, deep, poignant, black, physical — with panache.
Director Marco DiGeorge captures the essence of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s script. On the whole, he lets Nachtrieb’s characters be funny because of who they are — which makes the words they speak tickle the funny bone even harder.
DiGeorge only falters a bit with the character of Barbara, who sometimes too obviously is meant to supply a silly moment. Elaitheia Quinn is quite funny in the role, especially throughout the play’s enigmatic opening as with a self-satisfied air she magnificently bangs a drum to great effect, but DiGeorge lets her cross into sitcom delivery a few times too often.
Later, Quinn scores as a worker at odds with management, but it’s best not to say too much about Barbara because part of the fun of “Boom” is untangling the layers of what’s going on. Even though the script, costuming and Samantha DiGeorge’s wellcrafted scenic design provide clues, I was surprised a time or two.
The set-up is as bizarre as it is funny: A young woman has answered a personal ad for a sexual encounter with a nerdy, nervous biologist. Thanks to his study of fish, he thinks the world is going to end — soon.
The opening scene between randy Jo (Megan Raitano) and fumbling Jules (Adam Minossora) is a comic gold mine. Nachtrieb has an ear for specific and disparate references that make his dialogue even funnier,rightly earning big laughs.
Raitano gives her rough-and-tumble Jo enough layers to make her interesting under the hardboiled exterior. Minossora is so pathetically likeable that you would almost feel guilty for laughing at him — except he’s so good at finding the funny in every line.
If the world does end with this “Boom” — at least it’s going out on a high note.