Martini Madness
By MICHAEL SMITH World Entertainment Writer 3/20/2002
Matt Leland, left, and Dale Sams perform in a scene from "Search and Destroy." Below: Matt Leland, left, and Liz Masters in a scene from "Search and Destroy." Photos by STEPHEN HOLMAN / Tulsa World
Dark satire 'Search and Destroy' looks at a loser's plan to hit paydirt
Howard Korder's 1990 off-Broadway play "Search and Destroy" is the tale of a small-time loser looking to strike paydirt after a lifetime of failure with each new gimmick. His failures are of such magnitude that the IRS has a hard time keeping up with the red ink.
But he sees a way out.
Sure, he's said that before, but this time he means it. Despite knowing nothing about filmmaking, he's determined to produce a movie based on a book by late-night self-help guru Dr. Luther Waxling, his hero and a proponent of forgetting your past and becoming whatever you want to be.
There are lies, despair, drug dealing, blackmail and murder yet to occur in this dark satire -- or "cocktail tale of martini madness," which is how Dale Sams, the director and star of this production at Nightingale Theater, describes the work.
"It was written in the early '90s, and it tries to reflect the values of the country then -- about making a buck, selling fear to society, the stock market is booming, etc." he said. "Well, theme-wise, it's still very topical; you look out the window, and how is anything different from 1991 to 2001 or 2002? There's more people with cell phones, and your computer's a little better, and that's about it. There's still a Bush in the White House, we're at war, and people are still being sold fear as an industry."
Sams stages his play as Taurus Productions, which he used to produce Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" at the Nightingale in August 2000. As a founding member of Midwestern Theater Troupe, the Nightingale Theater's house theater company, he employs many of its resources and personnel. Set design here is by John Cruncleton, costume design by Sara Cruncleton and both appear in the show along with several regulars.
Other cast members include Tim Dent, Matt Leland, Annette Rosenheck, Corey Douglas, Liz Masters, Amber Whitlatch and Mary Forrester.
WHAT: Taurus Productions presents "Search and Destroy"
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, also 8 p.m. March 28-30
WHERE: Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St.
TICKETS: $5, available at the door, more information available by calling 583-8487 [As of February 2007, 633-8666]
Michael Smith, World entertainment writer, can be reached at 581-8474 or via e-mail at michael.smith@tulsaworld.com.