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March 8, 2015

Plays that mix realism and absurdity can be difficult to stage effectively. The director and actors have to figure out how to do that Durang-ian swing between “could happen” and “deliriously improbable.” “Hunter Gatherers” by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb is such a play, and probably a good one, but the production by Playhouse Creatures Theater Company at the Duo Theater doesn’t really crack the code. Plenty of outrageousness is on display, but it’s undifferentiated, which means that a script full of surprises doesn’t surprise often enough. The scene is a two-couple dinner that begins weirdly and grows more bizarre from there. As the play opens, Pam (Emily Dahlke) and Richard (Joseph W. Rodriguez) are preparing to host their old friends Wendy (Megan O’Leary) and Tom (John Russell), an annual ritual that Richard, who fancies himself a master chef, takes especially seriously.

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