Finding God in a Dog

Director's Note: Things are not always what they seem to be

SC and I saw Badass Theater Company's inaugural production, "Invasion!, on its opening night. You can read The Oregonian's review of it here. Hughley describes Invasion! as an exploration of The Other. It's also, for me, an exploration of language, assumptions, and the fourth wall. We could be politically correct and throw in the immigrant experience in America as well. The casting, with del Campo playing the lanky outsider and and deGroat switching genders and classes with aplomb, couldn't have been better. The play also contains the most shocking breakdown of the fourth wall I've seen since I was a teenager.

In a lot of ways, this is the best play that Badass could have put on for their first production, because even the mistakes help to feed the effect of forcing the audience to question their assumptions. What I originally thought was a deliberate misdirection in the lighting turned out to be the result of a missed line; what I assumed was the scrambling of names in the program (e.g. Nolan Kristeen and Brown Caitlin instead of Caitlin Nolan and Kristeen Brown) was explained to me as "a formatting error." I'm still not sure the mistakes in the program aren't intended to highlight the message of the play.

One thing that I don't think worked for Invasion! was the attempt to set the story in Portland. The play is originally set in New York City, and moving it to Portland isn't as simple as changing the locations. Invasion! doesn't have a Portland attitude. It has a New York City attitude, and it would have felt more genuine if they had just let it stay in New York.

I plan on seeing this performance again, at its closing night (June 29th). If you live in the Portland area, make an effort to see this. You won't regret it.

Invasion! is playing at the Teatro Milagro, 525 SE 6th, until June 29th.