When your town is actually perched on the very tip of the peninsular then it seems somehow only right that the entertainment at night is also right on the edge too. This week P Town welcomes two exceptionally wonderfully treats that are totally different yet share one delightful ingredient in the fact that are both completely bizarre.
The spectacularly weird Miss Dina Martina is back again with a brand new show that is Off The Charts in more ways than one. Her completely over-the-top performance is almost impossible to describe, but over the years she has nevertheless been called a tragic singer, horrible dancer and surreal raconteur. She is completely warped and digs deep for her oddball and obscure references that make her act so hilariously funny. Her new songs and stories are delightfully ludicrous …..and the ones that tell of lost loves are filled with pathos that nevertheless have you doubled over with laughter.
The outlandish and eccentric Dina Martina’s act is nothing short of sheer genius. Be warned though she is very much an acquired taste, BUT if you truly get the real essence of this magical town that is right at the end of the road (!), then you will love Dina and soon appreciate why the locals just cannot get enough of her.
Four years ago someone actually asked Dina what she thought of P Town, and this was her reply.
Dina Martina : Off The Charts at The Crown & Anchor until 9/17. For information and tickets click HERE.
Meanwhile in town’s East End the Provincetown Theater has mounted the a production of The Maids which is the very first play written by Jean Genet who was one of the founders of the Theater of The Absurd.
It is very loosely based on the true story of infamous sisters Christine and Léa Papin, who brutally murdered their employer and her daughter in Le Mans. The bizarre plot is about two housemaids Solange and Claire who are sisters who construct elaborate sadomasochistic rituals when their mistress (Madame) is away. The focus of their role-playing is the murder of Madame and they take turns portraying both sides of the power divide. Their deliberate pace and devotion to detail guarantees that they always fail to actualize their fantasies by ceremoniously “killing” Madame at the ritual’s dénouement.
Genet evidently preferred that the parts of the maids be played by boys, not that it has stopped some very eminent actresses tackling the parts such as Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert, in the last NY revival. This new hysterically funny P Town production directed by James P.Byrne , keeps to Genet’s wishes and has two extremely talented local based actors. Joe MacDougall (Solange) and Jody O’Neill (Claire) both give electrifying performances tackling their completely manic roles with their roller-coaster mood swings. Even in the occasion part when the intricate frenzied plot is hard to follow, you are nonetheless riveted by their tour-de-force turns which are such a joy to watch.
Madame is played by Sally Tighe (straight from her very recent success in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’) and had us in stitches with her large than life performance yet once again.
For information and tickets for The Maids by Jean Genet at The Provincetown Theater until July 10th click HERE
P.S. If you are still craving even more bizarre entertainment after this, then for two nights only June 22 & 23 the Waters Edge Cinema will be showing ‘The Lobster’. A very droll comedy set in a dystopian near-future in which single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or be turned into the animal of their choice. Colin Farrell opted to be a lobster! Well, he would, wouldn’t he.
Labels: 2016, Provincetown Culture
