Rogue Review "Awkward Conversations w/Animals I've F*cked" show #535
My final show of the Rogue’s first weekend was, well, interesting. Then again, with a title like Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Rob Hayes’ script is about Bobby, an awkward young man who has one-night stands with animals; one-night stand by their choice, not his. Joshua Taylor takes on the role of Bobby and performs the role with a profoundly-crafted arc that plummets into heavy, rapid-fire exposition at random moments in each one-night stand, culminating in a hauntingly-paced rant at the play’s end. Director Kayla M. Weber has intelligently staged and framed Taylor’s performance to get the most of this unbalanced, overly-wordy script.
Taylor’s performance is strongest when he dives into Bobby’s neuroses regarding the neediness he feels towards each animal he sleeps with, and the constant paranoia that the sirens outside his window are from the police, gearing up to take him into custody. Taylor’s physicality matches his mental instability as it worsens with each rejection, crippling his ability to function logically and “normally.”
Hayes’ script excels in how real the conversations are between Bobby and his animal hookups. The exchanges, sans the direct reference to the creature of his momentary desires, are recognizable rants filled with concerns that people have with other people all the time. These conversations are well-written, a tad ironic, and poignantly delivered by Taylor. However, a strong performance and deft direction are not able to help this approachable but oddly-structured script make its full impact. At the end of the play, I was left confused as to how I’m supposed to feel about Bobby, why all the lingering subtext about his past and his father came out as textual word vomit, and why the final scene of the play is distinctly different in tone and pace from the beginning scenes. Whether these were intended conflicts Hayes had in mind is beyond my recognition as an analytical audience member, but I did walk away knowing that Taylor and Weber are a stalwart team, and the right ones to tackle this consuming piece of theatre.
Awkward Conversations with Animals… will be play on 3/10 at 7pm and 3/12 at 8:30pm at Cal Arts.
