Peyote Business Lunch
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 Peyote Business Lunch |
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Running Time: 65 minutes Venue: ArtWorks Thu, 06/02/2011 - 08:30 Sat, 06/04/2011 - 03:00 Mon, 06/06/2011 - 08:30 Wed, 06/08/2011 - 08:15 Fri, 06/10/2011 - 07:00 |
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The pure sensations of the human soul on capitalism...and bread sticks.
From: Artemis Exchange
Most Fringy Thing: Hallucinogenic trip in an Italian bistro nestled between slot machines and roulette tables while mad men spew forth poetry and philosophical counter-arguments in an attempt to decipher the job skills of an unemployed loser.
Brief Description: A job applicant meets the CFO of an Indian Casino Corporation and the CFO’s Secretary at the Olive Garden inside their casino for a final interview – which just so happens to be a peyote-fueled vision quest. With the help of Spirit Guides, the men explore their collective subconscious with cleansed perception and experience the pure sensations of the human soul on capitalism (with unlimited soup, salad, and bread sticks.) Starring Christopher Dooley, Kate Kershaw, and Fringe-regulars George Alexander and Randy Bailey (Tantric Acting at the Holiday Inn.) Written by Chris Wesselman, Paul Lieber, and Christopher Karr. Directed by Chris Wesselman.
Artist/Company Biography: Artemis Exchange was founded in 2008 by Christopher Karr and Chris Wesselman through a shared interest to pursue independent theatrical endeavors which demand a fully realized production through aesthetic invention that rejects the notion that dollars and cents will produce effective theatre. Since its inception, Artemis has created three original plays for the Cincinnati Fringe Festival: A Perfectly Wonderful Evening, which received two Cincinnati Entertainment Award (CEA) nominations and garnered a win for Best Alternative Production; Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I, which was nominated for a CEA the following year, recently received a remounting as a co-production with New Edgecliff Theatre, and will be featured in the Chicago Fringe Festival this September; and this production, Peyote Business Lunch, a play born in the mind of collaborator Paul Lieber. Artemis delights in working with new and fresh talents in the creation of their pieces and never ceases to let the world be its creative muse.
Previous Fringes: Chicago Fringe 2010 (Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I), Cincy Fringe 2010 (Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I), Cincy Fringe 2009 (A Perfectly Wonderful Evening).
From: Cincinnati, OH
Critics' Reviews
Review: The Conveyor
by Brian Griffin
Free Bread sticks, special tea, a lizard, Adam Smith, and big dose of introspection make total sense after you see Artemis Exchange's new production Peyote Business Lunch. The show goes deep inside the mind, and I do mean deep, to pull out that wave-particle choking your soul, causing you to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, but then makes you laugh when you think about it years later. It takes you on a journey to experience everything that ever was and will ever be, all in about 60 minutes.
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Review: The Examiner
by Richard O Jones
The Artemis Exchange scores well with "Peyote Business Lunch," turning an comic sketch into a compelling and very funny one-act play with some thought-provoking reflections on our society as the conventions of an ancient native culture find something like common ground with modern capitalism.
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Review: CityBeat
by Rick Pender
CRITIC'S PICK
Unlike the characters in Peyote Business Lunch, Artemis Exchange’s high-octane entry in the 2011 Cincy Fringe, you don’t have to ingest anything to have your head turned around several times. The cast of four (performing at the gallery space at ArtWorks, 20 E. Central Parkway, enter from Jackson St.) will keep you laughing, furrowing your brow and being amazed for the entire 65 minutes you're there."
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Review: Cincinnati Enquirer, Enjoy these local Fringe entries
by Jackie Demaline
Two easy-to-recommend entries by local companies in this year's Cincinnati Fringe Festival are "Darker" by New Edgecliff Theatre and "Peyote Business Lunch" from Artemis Exchange.
Click here to read the rest of this article
Review: The Conveyor
Free Bread sticks, special tea, a lizard, Adam Smith, and big dose of introspection make total sense after you see Artemis Exchange's new production Peyote Business Lunch. The show goes deep inside the mind, and I do mean deep, to pull out that wave-particle choking your soul, causing you to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, but then makes you laugh when you think about it years later. It takes you on a journey to experience everything that ever was and will ever be, all in about 60 minutes.
This show is a wonderful blend of tongue twisted mental exercises of dialog, rich characters, and brilliant acting. The cast of George Alexander, Randy Lee Bailey, Chris Dooley and Kate Kersaw are all veterans of Fringe and add hilarious layers to the script.
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Review: Behind the Curtain
"Before I get into my review for the show I have to talk about the elephant in the room or, in this case, the elephant that IS in the room. The ArtWorks venue was problematic for WHITE GIRL, it works better for both HEADSCARF AND THE ANGRY BITCH and I LOVE YOU (WE’RE FUCKED) because the performers are standing for most of their one-person shows. However, the venue buries
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Reviews
A once in a lifetime job interview
Again, my rating system (and I am stuck on it.)
1*= Sorry I saw it; 2*= Glad I saw it; 3*= Recommend it; 4*= Would see it again
Last year I added the adjectives-
Fringy (solid Fringe wierdness/entertainment),
Fringier (unusual even in a Fringe context), and
Fringiest (weird in any context)
Peyote Business Lunch Fringier
Suzana 2* Randy 3*
Last year's 'Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You and I' by Artemis Exchange was my favorite show. I have now seen that show 3 times, enjoying it each time. I am sure that this is an even better play, beginning with the title (which I can actually remember), through the comprehensibility of what is going on, the cohesiveness of the journey, and the neatness of the set, the pacing, the acting, and the staging. Absolutely, if you enjoyed 'Aberrant Reflections', or if you have some acquaintance with the insights of drug induced visions, or if you like your theater fast paced and verbal, see this play.
Addendum
My comment above is where I should end. But something about the weird genius of Artemis Exchange makes me take an almost parental interest in their growth and success. So why that 2* and 3* rating? I will now try to work that out and you are welcome to skip this part.
I guess that Suzana found the difficult and the much less comprehensible 'Aberrant' more accessible because, throughout the barrage of obscure and twisted references in 'Aberrant' there was an endless amount of rather obvious, and often vulgar, physical humor and simple jokes. So, it carried you along, even if you had to scratch your head. 'Peyote Business Lunch' has detailed verbal content (Adam Smith, Yaiqui genocide and recovery, Einstein, Black Matter, the nature of time, lines of poetry, etc.) that are challenging even when I am trying to digest them in written form. If I try to digest them at the speed they are presented in this play, without the help of the peyote served to the characters for their lunch, my mind cannot even wander for 5 seconds or I am left far behind.
Since I have flirted with much of the mental heavy lifting that our Business Lunch brings up, my problem with this play is slightly different. With 'Aberrant' I knew immediately that it was a tour de force romp through an absurd landscape, and so I was content with the play on those terms. With 'Peyote Business Lunch' I am convinced that this is a far better play with less of the absurdity and more of the depth of thinking that 'Aberrant' only toyed with. Last year I called 'Aberrant' "Waiting for Godot" on crack. This year I am thinking, hey, this could be as significant as "Waiting for Godot" if it had a bit more work. Sorry if that sounds like a parent. I remain an ardent fan, content to await the next adventure offered by Artemis Exchange and very happy I made it to this lunch.