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It's all for laughs in 'Americana Absurdum'

By Heather Zimmerman

If we can't laugh at ourselves, then who can we laugh at? With its cast of outrageous Americans, Brian Park's dark comedy Americana Absurdum puts that idea to the test--well, sort of.

Renegade Theatre Experiment presents the West Coast premiere of Americana Absurdum, Sept Sept. 7-22 at the Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Ave., San Jose.

The play satirizes the American Dream gone astray, and through the two thoroughly absurdist one-acts that make up the show, Americana Absurdum does skewer some of the traits for which the U.S. has stereotypically become known. Park wrote Americana Absurdum 10 years ago, well before the dot-com bubble burst, and accordingly, corporate greed is a major theme.

The first one-act focuses on a family fending off a corporation's hostile takeover of their funeral home, though the mortuary's mom 'n' pop proprietors aren't immune to the lure of cash themselves: In fact, they're eager for more business.

The second half centers on a wrongful death lawsuit against an airline tycoon after a plane crash. The plaintiffs' attorney has leprechauns for legal assistants, but it appears the mogul has paid off their key witness: a talking wolverine.

With its farcical but still sharp social critiques, Americana Absurdum has won raves at such edgy events as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the New York Fringe Festival, where it was revived in 2006.

Renegade Theatre Experiment audiences may recall Park's penchant for the absurd from the company's production of his play Goner several seasons ago, which was also a West Coast premiere.

Tickets are $18-$20 general admission/$13-$15 students and seniors. For more information, call 408.351.4440 or visit www.rene
gadetheatre.com.