Enter Dino (Adam Belvo), the third member of this sad triumvirate, a former bandmate who has "sold out" and gotten rich by day-trading (it's 1999). Dino is a larger-than-life personality, even more so than Gill. Dino's own issues--his have both parental and sibling elements--have propelled him on a globe-trotting carnivorous rampage. Now he's back, hoping to celebrate his birthday with his old buddies in gruesome style. But Dino, like Lavaman, is a cartoon character; his preening and howling drive away any empathy we might have started to feel for stuck-in-the-past Gill or creatively blocked Arnie.
Told in a series of flashbacks, the story zeroes in on the events leading up to Dino's protracted, violent end. But unlike the punk rock songs the characters listen to and talk about, the play lacks a hook, for all its vehement verbosity and claustrophobic fury. In trying so hard to be provocative, this much too long play ends up provoking only exhaustion and a mild nausea.
Lavaman closes July 18. Soho Think Tank's Ice Factory 2009 continues through Aug. 15 at the Ohio Theatre, 66 Wooster St., NYC. For tickets please visit Smarttix or call 212-868-4444.
Photo by Kalli Newman.
Article comments
1 - SweetC
I saw this show in July and absolutely loved it. It actually inspired me so much that I shaved the sides of my head later that night (: However, I cannot stop thinking about this one song they played. I know I had heard it before but for the life of me cannot remember the name or artist. Its the song that Gill mouths the words to oh so well in the beginning of the show. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE SONG IS! - thank you